Harry Potter and the Lost Demigod
by NightSand
Summary: "...I was in 1996, London. Thirteen years in the past, on a different continent, with no way of getting back..." When Luke destroys himself and Kronos on Olympus, the explosion of energy released from the Titan of time sends Percy to England in 1996. Percy is found by Harry, and must help him survive his sixth year at Hogwarts. Set in Half Blood Prince, and after the Last Olympian.
1. I'm Sent Back in Time

**Well, I've been reading a lot of FanFictions similar to this - Harry Potter meets Percy Jackson - but the thing that always annoyed me was the time difference. Harry is NOT the same age as Percy! He is 13 years older! So, for all of you out there that agree with me, I made this story. Hope you like!**

**Disclaimer: I swear, by the River Styx, that I do not own Percy Jackson, or Harry Potter. I wish I did. My life would be so much easier if I did. :'(**

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**Harry Potter and the Lost Demigod**

**Chapter 1: I'm Sent Back in Time**

**Percy**

I raised the knife to strike. Then I looked at Annabeth, at Grover cradling her in his arms, trying to shield her. And I finally understood what she'd been trying to tell me.

_You are not the hero_, Rachel had said. _It will affect what you do_.

"Please," Luke groaned. "No time."

If Kronos evolved to his true form, there would be no stopping him. He would make Typhon look like a playground bully.

The line from the Great Prophecy echoed in my head: _A hero's soul the cursed blade shall reap_. My whole world tipped upside down, and I handed the knife to Luke.

Grover yelped. "Percy? Are you…um…"

Crazy. Insane. Off my rocker. Probably.

But I watched as Luke grasped the hilt. I stood before him – defenceless.

He unlatched the side straps of his armour, exposing a small bit of his skin just under his left arm, a place that would be very hard to hit. With difficulty, he stabbed himself.

It wasn't a deep cut, but Luke howled. His eyes glowed like lava. The throne room shook, throwing me off my feet. An aura of energy surrounded Luke, growing brighter and brighter. I shut my eyes and felt a force like a nuclear explosion blister my skin and crack my lips.

Then everything went black.

When I came to, I estimated that about an hour had gone past. You see, I've become quite an expert at these things, because of the numerous times that I've been knocked out. Your body just suddenly starts telling you how long you were out cold.

I painfully raised myself up on my hands, until I was more or less in a sitting position. I groaned – my body felt like it had been picked up, battered around and dropped from a great height. Ironically, that was pretty close to what had happened.

After my head stopped spinning, and the pain subsided, I started to take an interest in my surroundings. I had assumed that I'd just been knocked out by the energy Kronos/Luke released when he stabbed himself, but as I looked around, I saw that I was no longer on Olympus.

I was on a path, by the side of a road. On each side of the road were two neat story houses, each with some lawn out the front. The one I was closest to was number 4, and I swear if the lawn had been anymore perfect, it would have had a sign next to it, saying, 'KEEP OFF THE LAWN,' in bright red letters. I wondered who would keep their grass neat to that degree. There certainly wasn't a demigod living in this house – a monster would have torn up the lawn in seconds.

As I sat, contemplating that thought, the door opened and a boy stepped out. I blinked. The boy could almost have been my double, except for the scar peeping out of his hair, his large round glasses and the general skinniness of him. He had black hair, and vivid green eyes – not sea green like mine, but more like….traffic lights!

I know, you're thinking, traffic lights? Whose eyes would resemble that? But this boy's did. His eyes had a glow to them as he looked at me – not Kronos gold eyes glow, but just a glow. However, I could see that he was suspicious, or afraid.

"Who are you?" the boy's voice interrupted my thoughts about his eyes. Blame the ADHD for my train of thought!

I shifted, attempting to stand, but failing miserably. "I'm Percy Jackson." I smiled at him, hoping to show that I meant him no harm. Unless he was a monster, but I doubted that. "And you are….?"

The boy's eyes widened. "Y-You mean… You don't know who I am?" he asked incredulously.

I frowned, scanning him should I know him? He looked about my age, but I didn't remember him from Camp Half-Blood. "Nope, sorry. Am I meant to?"

"Err….no! No, no, of course not. I'm Harry Potter." he looked at me again, maybe trying to see if I recognised his name.

I thought. Did I know a Harry Potter? Was he famous or something? Coming up with zip results in my brain, I grinned at him. "Well, hello Harry! Um… Do you think you could help me up?"

Harry stepped forward and grabbed my hands, pulling me to my feet. I swayed slightly, feeling a little light-headed. I needed sleep – the Curse of Achilles gave me invincibility, but made me much more tired, especially after a battle like the one I'd just fought. "Hey, Harry? Could you direct me to the Empire State Building? I have friends that I'm meeting there."

Harry looked at me strangely. "The Empire State Building? But that's in America!"

I stared at him. "But…you're saying…"

Harry looked sympathetic. "Percy, you're in England."

No. I couldn't be. I was in America. In Manhattan.

"You must be mistaken. I was in New York, America. Th-This can't be England!" I was starting to panic. What if it wasn't a joke, or a dream? What if I was in England?

Harry shook his head. "You're definitely in England. This is Number 4, Privet Drive, London. I live here."

My legs gave way. I needed rest so bad, and this news was too much. "Has the freak storm in America stopped?" I had to know if Typhon was gone.

"Are you sure you're alright? Because there is no storm in America."

I was puzzled. Surely Typhon would have been on the news. "Yes, I'm fine, just tired. Can you get me a newspaper?" Harry nodded at the strange request and ran inside to grab a newspaper. Two minutes later, he was handing it to me.

I flicked through it, but saw nothing about Typhon, or anything in America. I was about to hand it back to Harry when I saw the date.

I felt sick. "What's the year?" I asked shakily, begging every single god I knew that date on the newspaper was a typo.

"1996. Why? Hey, Percy! Are you alright? What's wrong?!" Harry's voice faded away as I lay back on the path. 1996. England. The words kept spinning around my head. Just before I lost consciousness again, I realised the truth.

I was in 1996, London. Thirteen years in the past, on a different continent, with no way of getting back.

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**Just to clarify, Percy is slightly distracted by Harry's eyes, but that is because ****_apparently_**** they glow like traffic lights. This is not a slash HarryxPercy story. Blame his ADHD for any wierd thoughts that may pop up.**

**Percy: Hey! I can't help it!**

**Me: I never said you could. I'm on your side!**

**Percy: Oh... um... I might just leave now.**

**Me: Well, I hope you liked this first chapter. Reviews? As many writers point out, reviews = more chapters!**

**NightSand**


	2. The Gods Argue A Lot

**Hey there!**

**Thanks for all the reviews, follows and favourites! You guys rock!**

**Chocolate'n'Swag: There will be chapters with Harry's POV. The main narrators will be Percy, Harry and Annabeth. There may be a couple of chapters in other people's POVs.**

**AlphaBetaFeta****/Guest: OMG you read my mind! This chapter is from Annabeths's POV. I hope you like it.**

**FateOfChaos****: Thanks! I'm glad that it's different. I don't want to be one of those authors who copy other people.**

**Percy son of Zeus: I know... Percy has really bad luck...**

**The rest of you: Thanks again for all the reviews! It really makes my day to see all the emails coming into my Inbox tellingme that someone has favourited my story, or followed it, or reviewed it. This chapter is dedicated to you guys!**

**Disclaimer: In my dreams, I own rights to these stories. Unfortunately, they are only dreams. I do not own anything except for my own ideas.**

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**Harry Potter and the Lost Demigod**

**Chapter 2: The Gods Argue. A Lot**

**Annabeth**

"Percy!" I looked wildly around. I saw Luke, lying still, Grover sitting next to me, but Percy had disappeared. "Grover, what happened? Where's Percy?"

Grover looked upset. He started chewing his reed pipes nervously. "_Blaa-ha-ha_. I don't know Annabeth! Luke stabbed himself, Percy flew backwards and I blacked out. You did too."

I sat back in shock. Me, black out? I'd never done that before. Then I shook my head, blaming my stupid ADHD for the stupid thought. I should be worried about Percy, not the state of my health.

I got up slowly, with Grover supporting me. Together we hobbled over to where Luke's body lay. He looked strangely peaceful. I hadn't seen him look this way since his quest. It was right, somehow. Luke deserved peace.

But Percy was still missing. I took my eyes from Luke's broken body and scanned the room. There was no sign of him, but shadows covered the room, leaving plenty of spaces where he could be hidden.

Grover and I spent the next few minutes searching every Percy-sized place for him. But he was nowhere.

The gods arrived soon after we came to the conclusion that Percy was no longer on Olympus. They thundered in, expecting a battle. Instead, they found me and Grover standing beside Luke.

"Per – Annabeth, where's Percy?" Poseidon exclaimed.

I looked down. I really didn't want to tell Poseidon that his son was missing. Unfortunately, the god thought that Luke was Percy.

"No…it can't be…" he whispered, stepping forward to look more closely at the body of the half-blood.

I realised what was going on. "No, my lord Poseidon. That's Luke." At this, Hermes gave a strangled cry. "Percy is….missing. We couldn't find him." Poseidon looked relieved, but stayed slightly worried at the news.

"We need a shroud for the son of Hermes." I declared. The god of messengers shot me a grateful glance. The gods nodded silently, and the three Fates came to take Luke away.

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After the honours for Luke had been done, Zeus called a meeting of the gods – and me and Grover. He wanted to know exactly what happened.

"…and then Luke stabbed himself. An explosion, well, exploded, and I was knocked out. So was Grover." I finished. "We searched for Percy, but couldn't find him anywhere." Poseidon looked pained. I knew that Percy meant a lot to him – and I think Percy knew it too. I hoped he did.

"Well…" Zeus stroked his beard. I was pretty sure that the only reason he grew one was so that he could stroke it and look intelligent. "It seems we must find Perseus Jackson, and th-thank him." the kings of the gods had to choke out the last words. I hid a smile. It was very similar to when he had thanked Poseidon for defeating Typhon. Zeus did not like owing people things.

"Of course we must find him!" Poseidon thundered. "He's my SON!"

My mother stepped forward. "It would be very wise to search for him. After all, who knows what trouble he could cause?"

"Mother!" I cried. She wasn't being fair! Percy had just saved their butts, and the only reason she wanted to find him was so that he wouldn't cause any trouble! It wasn't Seaweed Brain's fault monsters were attracted to him like a magnet!

Athena glanced at me, but didn't say anything.

* * *

The next hour passed as the gods argued about the best way to find Percy. I only half listened, concentrating more on my own ideas about Percy. Finally, they decided on….nothing. Because, after 1 hour and 13 minutes (I'm the daughter of Athena remember? Time can be wisdom), something unexpected happened.

A flash of light appeared in front of Zeus. As it faded, a woman with black hair in a Greek style dress was revealed.

"Hecate!" I gasped. She had sided with Kronos! The other gods all went on alert, reaching for their items of power.

"Relax. I am not here to fight you. I am here to help you." Hecate said soothingly.

"And how can you do that?" Ares spat at her.

"The one you seek, Perseus Jackson, I know where he is." at those words my insides clenched.

"Where?!" I demanded. Hecate turned to me and smiled.

"Long ago, I blessed a group of mortals with magic,"

"What has that got to do with Percy?" I interrupted.

"Patience dear, patience." Hecate smiled again and continued. "Because they were mortal, few could do magic alone. They needed something to focus their magic. And so, wands were created."

I was getting impatient. So, there were wizards. What of it? That had nothing to do with Percy!

"The descendants of those mortals are still alive today. They have spread, so their world is now quite large. They live in Europe, and have recently fought a war, similar to this one. They won against those who misused my gift, but with many losses." Hecate paused, before adding. "This is where your hero has been sent."

"To Europe? Well that's easy enough to find him." snorted Hades. Hecate shook her head.

"Percy has gone to England, but he has also been transported 13 years in the past. The war is two years from being finished."

"WHAT?!" Poseidon roared as he got to his feet. "My son needs to be here, in his own time!"

Hecate shrugged. "I can do nothing. I did not send Percy there. We must wait until the time is right to bring him back."

I didn't listen to the next words the gods said. Seaweed Brain was 13 years ago? With wizards? And I couldn't reach him.

I started crying. It was just like when he blew up Mt St Helens. In my head I thought sadly, '_Why does it always have to be you?' _

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**Aww... Poor Annabeth. She gets left behind so much doesn't she?**

**Next up: Harry's POV! Yay!**


	3. Dumbledore's Visit

**Sorry for the delay, I found it really hard to write in Harry's POV.**

**The next chapter will also be a little while, because my editor is going away, and I want my stories to be the best that they can be. Sorry. :)**

**General E: Percy can't hop on a boat to America,because he's 13 years in the past remember? And why would he? I think that Percy would be interested in helping the wizards, so he's staying.**

**Guest: Well, at the end of this I'm thinking of somehow making Percy return to his own time. I love Percabeth, so there might be some in the end. Sorry if you don't like it. But that's a LONG way off!**

**Thanks to everyone else for your support! Your reviews/favourites/follows make me smile every time.**

**Disclaimer: *sigh* I will never own these characters. It's depressing...**

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**Chapter 3: Dumbledore's Visit**

**Harry**

"What's wrong?!" Percy didn't answer. His eyes closed as he fell unconscious.

I was very confused. Who was he, and what was he doing at my house? According to him, he didn't know either.

I wondered what to do with him. Percy couldn't out stay here, but the Dursleys wouldn't like him in the house. Then I remembered that Dumbledore was coming tonight. If I could keep Percy hidden until then, it should be fine.

My mind made up, I grabbed his arms and lifted. He was heavy, but not as heavy as Dudley was, so I could manage. I was lucky that the Dursleys weren't here, or Percy and I would be in big trouble.

I laid the boy out on my bed and studied him. He looked about my age, but he was taller and muscular. It looked like he had been working out.

I was puzzled by him. Percy wasn't a wizard, I was sure of that. He hadn't recognised my name, and I'm sure even American wizards would have heard of me. But I didn't think he was a muggle either. He had an aura of power, but not magic. Percy could be a Squib. That would almost fit.

Almost.

The power didn't fit, nor the fact that he hadn't recognised me. But I suppose, if you're a Squib in America you might not be connected to the wizarding world.

And then there were his reactions to where he was.

When had I told him this was England, he collapsed. I had the feeling he truly believed he was in America. And the year. Why did he ask the year? It seemed he thought that it wasn't 1996 Maybe he was a druggie? He seemed to be on fairly high alert, as if he was expecting to be attacked.

I sat and thought about Percy Jackson, before falling asleep.

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I woke up suddenly, blinking in the moonlight. I hadn't meant to fall asleep, but somehow I had, and now I needed to pack my stuff!

I jumped up, cramming my belongings into my trunk. I glanced at Percy, but he lay still on my bed, apparently still unconscious.

The doorbell rang. I winced, remembering that I hadn't told the Dursleys that Dumbledore would be coming tonight. I could hear my uncle yelling something as he stumbled down to the door. I quickly shoved more of my stuff into the trunk, and ran downstairs.

In the door stood Dumbledore, who had just asked Uncle Vernon if I had told him that he would be picking me up. He guessed correctly that I hadn't.

Without waiting for an invitation, Dumbledore stepped inside and closed the door. I stifled a laugh at my uncle's face. He was speechless for now, but I was sure that he would find his voice before long.

My professor led the way to the living room, followed by my uncle and aunt. I walked after them, taking care not to get too close to Uncle Vernon.

When Dumbledore was seated I asked the question that was bugging me. "Aren't – Aren't we leaving, sir?"

He nodded. "Yes, indeed we are, but there are a few matters we need to discuss first, and I would prefer not to do so in the open. We shall trespass upon your aunt and uncle's hospitality only a little longer."

"You will, will you?" My uncle had entered the room, with Aunt Petunia next to him and Dudley behind him.

"Yes," said Dumbledore simply, "I shall."

He drew his wand so rapidly that I barely saw it; with a casual flick, the sofa zoomed forwards and knocked the knees out from under all three of the Dursleys so that they collapsed upon it in a heap. Another flick of the wand and the sofa zoomed back to its original position.

"We may as well be comfortable." said Dumbledore pleasantly.

As he replaced his wand in his pocket, I saw that his hand was blackened and shrivelled; it looked as though his flesh had been burned away.

"Sir – what happened to your –? "

"Later, Harry," Dumbledore said. "Please sit down."

I reluctantly took a seat on the remaining armchair, trying not to look at my stunned uncle, aunt and cousin. I wondered what had happened to Dumbledore's hand. Surely it could be fixed by a potion or spell.

"I would assume that you were going to offer me refreshments," Dumbledore said to Uncle Vernon, "but the evidence so far suggests that that would be optimistic to the point of foolishness."

A third twitch of the wand, and a dusty bottle and five glasses appeared in midair. The bottle tipped and poured a generous measure of honey-coloured liquid into each of the glasses, which then floated to each person in the room.

"Madam Rosmerta's finest oak-matured mead," said Dumbledore raising his glass to me, as I caught hold of my own and sipped. I'd never tasted anything like it before, but enjoyed it immensely. The Dursleys, after quick, scared looks at one another, tried to ignore their glasses completely, a difficult feat, as they were nudging them gently on the sides of their heads. I could not suppress a suspicious that Dumbledore was rather enjoying himself.

"Well, Harry," said Dumbledore, turning toward me, "a difficulty has arisen which I hope you will be able to solve for us. By us, I mean the Order of the Phoenix. But first of all I must tell you that Sirius's will was discovered a week ago and that he left you everything he owned."

Over on the sofa, Uncle Vernon's head turned, but I still did not look at him. I couldn't think of anything to say except, "Oh. Right."

"This is, in the main, fairly straightforward," Dumbledore went on. "You add a reasonable amount of gold to your account at Gringotts, and you inherit all of Sirius's personal possessions. The slightly problematic part of the legacy-"

"His godfather's dead?" said Uncle Vernon loudly from the sofa. Dumbledore and I both turned to look at him. The glass of mead was now knocking quite insistently on the side of Vernon's head; he attempted to beat it away. "He's dead? His godfather?"

"Yes," said Dumbledore. He did not ask me why I had not confided in the Dursleys. "Our problem," he continued talking to me, as if there had been no interruptions, "Sirius also left you number twelve, Grimmauld Place."

"He's been left a house?" said Uncle Vernon greedily, his small eyes narrowing, but nobody answered him.

"You can keep using it as headquarters," I said. "I don't care. You can have it, I don't really want it." I never wanted to set foot in number twelve, Grimmauld Place again if I could help it. I thought that I would be haunted forever by the memory of Sirius prowling its dark musty rooms alone, imprisoned within the place he had wanted so desperately to leave.

"That is generous," said Dumbledore. "We have, however, vacated the building temporarily."

"Why?"

"Well," said Dumbledore, ignoring the muttering of Uncle Vernon, who was now being rapped smartly over the head by the persistent glass of mead, "Black family tradition decreed that the house was handed down the direct line, to the next male within the name of 'Black.' Sirius was the very last of the line as his younger brother, Regulus, predeceased him and both were childless. While his will makes it perfectly plain that he wants you to have the house, it is nevertheless possible that some spell or enchantment has been set upon the place to ensure that it cannot be owned by anyone other than a pureblood."

A vivid image of the shrieking, spitting portrait of Sirius's mother that hung in the hall of twelve, Grimmauld Place flashed into my mind. "I bet there has," I said.

"Quite," said Dumbledore. "And if such an enchantment exists, then the ownership of the house is most likely to pass to the eldest of Sirius's living relatives, which would mean his cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange."

Without realizing what he was doing, I sprang to his feet. Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius's killer, inherit his house?

"No," I said.

"Well, obviously we would prefer that she didn't get it either," said Dumbledore calmly. "The situation is fraught with complications. We do not know whether the enchantments we ourselves have placed upon it, for example, making it Unplottable, will hold now that ownership has passed from Sirius's hands. It might be that Bellatrix will arrive on the doorstep at any moment. Naturally we had to move out until such time as we have clarified the position."

"But how are you going to find out if I'm allowed to own it?"

"Fortunately," said Dumbledore, "there is simple test."

He placed his empty glass on a small table beside his chair, but before he could do anything else, Uncle Vernon shouted, "Will you get these ruddy things off us?"

I looked around; all three of the Dursleys were cowering with their arms over their heads as their glasses bounced up and down on their skulls, their contents flying everywhere.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," said Dumbledore politely, and he raised his wand again. All the three vanished. "But it would have been better manners to drink it, you know."

It looked as though Uncle Vernon was bursting with any number of unpleasant retorts, but he merely shrank back into the cushions with Aunt Petunia and Dudley and said nothing, keeping his small piggy eyes on Dumbledore's wand.

"You see," Dumbledore said, turning back to me and again speaking as though Uncle Vernon had not uttered a word, "if you have indeed inherited the house, you have also inherited -"

He flicked his wand for a fifth time. There was a loud crack, and a house-elf appeared, with a snout for a nose, giant bat's ears, and enormous bloodshot eyes, crouching on the Dursleys' shag carpet and covered in grimy rags. My aunt let out a hair-raising shriek; nothing this filthy had entered her house in living memory. Dudley drew his large, bare, pink feet off the floor and sat with them raised almost above his head, as though he though he thought the creature might run up his pyjama trousers, and Uncle Vernon bellowed, "What the hell is that?"

"Kreacher," said Dumbledore.

"Kreacher won't, Kreacher won't, Kreacher won't!" croaked the house-elf, quite as loudly as Uncle Vernon, stamping his long, gnarled feet and pulling his ears. "Kreacher belongs to Miss Bellatrix, oh yes, Kreacher belongs to the Blacks, Kreacher wants his new mistress, Kreacher won't go to the Potter brat, Kreacher won't, won't, won't -"

"As you can see, Harry," said Dumbledore loudly, over Kreacher's continued croak of "won't, won't, won't" "Kreacher is showing a certain reluctance to pass into your ownership."

"I don't care," I said again, looking with disgust at the writhing, stamping house-elf. "I don't want him."

"Won't, won't, won't, won't -"

"You would prefer him to pass into the ownership of Bellatrix Lestrange? Bearing in mind that he has lived at the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix for the past year?"

"Won't, won't, won't, won't-"

I stared at Dumbledore. I knew that Kreacher could not be permitted to go and live with Bellatrix Lestrange, but the idea of owning him, of having responsibility for the creature that had betrayed Sirius, was repugnant.

"Give him an order," said Dumbledore. "If he has passed into your ownership, he will have to obey. If not, then we shall have to think of some other means of keeping him from his rightful mistress."

"Won't, won't, won't, WON'T!"

Kreacher's voice had risen to a scream. I couldn't stand it any longer. "Kreacher, shut up!"

It looked for a moment as though Kreacher was going to choke. He grabbed his throat, his mouth still working furiously, his eyes bulging. After a few seconds of frantic gulping, he threw himself face forward onto the carpet and beat the floor with his hands and feet, giving himself over to a violent, but entirely silent tantrum.

"Well, that simplifies matters," said Dumbledore cheerfully. "It seems that Sirius knew what he was doing. You are the rightful owner of twelve, Grimmauld Place and Kreacher."

"Do I - do I have to keep him with me?" I asked, aghast, as Kreacher thrashed around at my feet.

"Not if you don't want to," said Dumbledore. "If I might make a suggestion, you could send him to Hogwarts to work in the kitchen there. In that way, the other house-elves could keep an eye on him."

"Yeah," I said in relief, "yeah, I'll do that. Er – Kreacher – I want you to go to Hogwarts and work in the kitchens there with the other house-elves."

Kreacher, who was now lying flat on his back with his arms and legs in the air, gave me one upside-down look of deepest loathing and, with another loud crack, vanished.

"Good," said Dumbledore. "There is also the matter of the hippogriff, Buckbeak is yours now, so if you would prefer to make different arrangements-"

"No," I replied instantly, "he can stay with Hagrid. I think Buckbeak would prefer that."

"Hagrid will be delighted," said Dumbledore, smiling. "He was thrilled to see Buckbeak again. Incidentally, we have decided, in the interest of Buckbeak's safety, to rechristen him 'Witherwings' for the time being, though I doubt that Ministry would ever guess he is the hippogriff they once sentenced to death. Now, Harry, is your trunk packed?"

"Erm…"

"Doubtful that I would turn up?" Dumbledore suggested shrewdly.

"I'll just go and – er – finish off." I said hastily, and hurried back up the stairs.

When I got to my room I saw that Percy was awake. He sprang to his feet as I came in and reached for his pocket.

"Hey, calm down!" I said reassuringly. "You collapsed, so I brought you here. What's in your pocket?" I asked curiously. Maybe he was a wizard. It could be a wand.

"Oh. Um… it's a pen." he said, bringing it out. Ok, so not a wand. Percy Jackson was becoming more and more unusual. Why would he reach for a pen when he thought he was under attack?

"My headmaster is here, so you'd better come with us."

Percy looked suspicious. "Why would I do that? And who are you?"

I guessed he wasn't talking about my name. "I'm a wizard, and you should come with us, so we can figure out why you're here. You'd be safer with us than with my muggle aunt and uncle."

"Muggle? Is that an insult?" asked Percy. Well, that ruled out the Squib theory. Even they knew about muggles.

"A muggle is a non-magical being."Percy nodded in understanding. "So, are you coming? Because we really need to go now."

Percy nodded again, but didn't say anything. He just followed me down the stairs to Dumbledore.

When Uncle Vernon saw Percy his face turned almost purple. Oops. I'd forgotten to tell him that too.

"WHO IS THIS?!" he roared. To Percy's credit, he didn't flinch.

"I'm Percy Jackson." he said. He saw that Uncle looked like he was going to explode and added, "I think I'll wait outside." With that he walked out the door.

Dumbledore looked curious. "And who, Harry, was that?" he asked.

"Um… I found him outside and he collapsed." I answered. "But I don't think that he is a wizard. He didn't know me."

Dumbledore nodded slowly. "Well, it seems we must be off. I did have something else I wanted to discuss, but I think we should leave now." He stood up, and walked to the door.

I followed him outside with my trunk and Hedwig to where Percy was waiting. He looked very restless, walking up and down muttering things like, "…Kronos…..Luke'll be dead….Annabeth will kill me… oh gods." he buried his head in his hands. I didn't understand what he was saying – who was Annabeth? – but he seemed very upset.

Before I could say anything, Dumbledore stepped forward. "Boys, take my arm. We will drop Mr. Jackson off at the Burrow, then you and I, Harry, have some business we must attend to.

Hesitantly, I took his arm. Percy looked doubtful, but did the same. All at once it felt like I was being pulled in every direction, but being squeezed at the same time.

When I opened my eyes we were at the Burrow. Percy let go of Dumbledore's arm and staggered away, but looked better than I felt. Dumbledore quickly told him what to say to Mrs Weasley, then we Apparated away again.

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**There you go. I'm glad that's over.**

**Percy next! And I've decided to have less Annabeth chapters, because not as much will be going on. Percy and Harry will be the main narrators.**

**Please review! I love them!**


	4. I Fail to Knock Out a Man

**Hey Peoples! I'm back!**

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**Sorry for the wait, I wrote this chapter AGES ago, but couldn't be bothered to type it up. Anyway, it's here.**

**A note about the author notes: The ones at the top of the page will be me randomly talking, and maybe telling you info about updating. The ones at the bottom will be about the story. Normally, you can skip these top ones, but I recommend reading the bottom ones. Just to let you know. :D**

**So... Updates.**

**I'll TRY every week, but I doubt that I'll get there. Most of them will be every fortnight, at the very least once a month. School has started, so I'll be busy with , music, etc. Sorry. :(**

**Percabeth Lorien: I've written a longer chapter! Oh my gods!**

**NightWings412: Exactly! Hehehe... I had to do a bit of research to find out who Tyche was... But, to be honest, I have no idea why she hates Percy. You should ask her. And sorry, I doubt that Nico will be in this story. We'll see, but I don't plan on his entrance.**

**LuLuLucian444: Well, not all of them see him at first. Next chapter!**

**liz-king97: Well, this explains how it is even more her fault (kind of)!**

**Thanks to everyone else who said, "Update!" That also means a lot to me.**

**This chapter's dedicated to Kannabel Lestrange. Yes, you know who you are. ****She bugged me about typing it up, so thank her!**

**Disclaimer: This is ****FAN****Fiction. It isn't AuthorsFiction. So, of course, I don't own anything except some plotline.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: I Fail to Knock Out a Guy**

**Percy**

I stumbled away from the old man, who was apparently Harry's headmaster. I felt slightly sick, but shadow travelling was just as bad, so I was faring better than Harry, who looked slightly green.

"Go to the house, and tell them that Dumbledore sent you. Also, let them know that Harry will join you soon." The headmaster, who I now knew was Dumbledore, told me.

I nodded, and started towards the house. When I looked back, Harry and Dumbledore were gone.

I reached the door, and hesitated. What was I doing here? Was I even sure that I could trust Dumbledore and Harry? But Harry reminded me of myself, not just in the appearance. And Dumbledore seemed to be very similar to Chiron, in an old-man-not-half-horse sort of way.

I raised my hand and knocked carefully on the door. I heard the sound of running feet, and the door was flung open.

Inside the door stood a girl who bore an uncanny resemblance to Rachel, except for her brown eyes. I wondered if I hadn't just gone back in time, but whether I had also somehow got into a parallel universe, where everyone was slightly different. Oh, and also, we were also wizards. Then I shook my head and dismissed the idea. After all, people could look the same and not be related. There were billions of people, and not that many combinations of features, are there?

My thoughts were interrupted by the Rachel-lookalike.

"Who are you?" she said suspiciously. I sighed inwardly. This was the third or fourth time I've had to introduce myself, and it probably won't be the last time.

"I'm Percy Jackson." Her face remained mistrustful, so I added, "Dumbledore sent me. Oh, and he said that Harry was coming?" I wasn't entirely sure that these people knew Harry, but from the softening of the girl's features, I assumed that they did.

"Come in then! I'm Ginny by the way." she said as she opened the door wider to let me in. I smiled and thanked her, before stepping through the door.

My first impression of the house - messy. Then I looked closer and amended my statement. The house wasn't messy, it was cluttered. But it wasn't a bad clutter; it was a homey one, where all around you were belongings, and personal things. It was warm, and I instantly felt safe (and that is not a mean feat – I only feel safe in a few places; Camp Half-Blood and my house).

I turned around as I heard a rustle of fabric. Coming down stairs that I had faintly seen before was a short, stout woman with red hair. Anyone could see that she was the mother of Ginny.

She stopped abruptly when she saw me, and a hard expression crept into her eyes. I decided then and there that I did not want to get on her bad side.

Before she could ask the obvious question, I stepped forward. "My name is Percy Jackson. Dumbledore sent me." The hard look in her eyes vanished, replaced by a very motherly look. She hurriedly descended the stairs and pulled me further inside the house.

"If Dumbledore knows you, then you're fine." She said brightly. "I'm Molly Weasley, but you can call me Molly." I nodded silently, her kind words reminding me of my own mother. At the thought of her, my eyes teared up. Call me a mommy's boy, but my mom was the most stable person in my life. I wondered if she was alright, and if I would ever see her again.

Molly spotted my tears and her face softened further. "There there, you're safe. What happened to you?" I shook my head and shrugged. At the moment, I would prefer to keep my messed up life a secret. I doubted that these wizards would understand what I'd been through.

Molly's mouth tightened, but she didn't say anything else. Instead, she ushered me up the big staircase to the attic. Inside were a couple of beds, and despite having slept for a few hours at Harry's place, I felt exhausted. I thanked Molly and collapsed on one of the beds, falling asleep instantly.

* * *

As usual, I had a dream. I was standing on…Olympus! I gasped. It was empty, except for three people – my dad, Annabeth and a woman in Greek style clothing. I guessed that she was a minor god.

_Percy_. A voice whispered in my head.

_Dad? Is that you?_

_Yes. _

_Wha-Why-How?_ I stammered.

_Hecate has managed a quick link to you. But this won't last long. Quick, I want to tell you that we know where you are._

_You do? So do I…I think…._

_Yes, we do. We can't bring you back, but I want to let you know that your friends are safe. Kronos is dead. You are the Hero of Olympus._

_Wow.. Gee, thanks Dad. Um... Mom?_

_She's safe too. Percy, I have to go now, but know that I love you, and will try to get you back here._

_Thanks Dad._

_Goodbye, son…_

The wispy shape of my dad disappeared. I turned to Annabeth. She had tears in her eyes, and I could feel some building in mine.

_Annabeth._

_Percy._

We stood there a little awkwardly, before Annabeth rushed forward and hugged me, much to my surprise. I didn't think I had substance in dreams.

_I miss you so much Seaweed Brain!_ Annabeth sobbed.

_I miss you too Wise Girl. Why am I always separated from you?_

_I don't know. It's so unfair! After saving the world you'd think that we'd get some time off together!_ Annabeth sounded so outraged that I couldn't help laughing. She glared at me for a second, before she started laughing too. Surprisingly, I stopped first.

_So, how's camp. Did everyone survive?_

_Most did. We lost a couple of Apollo campers, and 1 each from Ares and Hermes, but apart from them and Silena and Michael, no more casualties. We're currently building cabins for the minor gods. We all agreed that this wouldn't have happened if the gods had claimed all their children and acknowledged the minor gods._

_That's good. What about Typhon? Is he gone?_

_Yes. Your father led his army to help and quickly defeated him. _Her voice took on an amused tone_. Zeus did not enjoy saying thank you to him, or you, even though you weren't there._

_Sounds like Zeus. _I opened my mouth to say something else, but the Greek lady cleared her throat and looked meaningfully at Annabeth.

_Oh. I'm sorry Percy, but I have to go! Don't forget us! And stay alive or I'll have to kill you!_

_But I'd already be dead_, I reasoned. Annabeth mock-glared at me.

_Shut up! But I mean it. If you die… _She trailed off.

_I know. And I will, I promise_. Annabeth nodded sadly.

_Goodbye Seaweed Brain._

_See ya, Wise Girl_. I hesitated before adding, _I…I love you._

Annabeth looked stunned. Then her mouth crept up in a smile. _Love you too. _Then she also vanished from my dream.

I turned to the last person – the mysterious Greek woman.

_Who are you?_

_Hecate, goddess of magic. I created this link to briefly allow your friends and family speak, and also to tell you some important information. As you have probably guessed, there are wizards in the world. I blessed their ancestors, so they can do magic. You are in the middle of that world._

_Why? How did I get here?_

_I do not know for certain. I am guessing that the energy released from Kronos' end hit you, sending you back in time. He is the Titan of time, after all._

_But how did I get to England? Shouldn't I be in America?_

_Ah, well. That was me. I decided that you should do something useful in the past, so when the explosion happened I tapped into it, and sent you to England. I won't tell you exactly why, because I think that the wizards themselves must let you know._

_How can I get back? Will I be here forever?_

_No. The most I think you shall stay is a year. I have some control over time – with my magic of course – but to bring you back so soon after you leaving will be bad for you. Your body is not strong enough for time travel so close together. If I try to bring you back, you will most likely disintegrate. So you and I must wait, until it is safe._

I gulped. _Yeah, that would be smart, because I'm kind of fond of my body._

Hecate laughed softly. _I agree, little hero. You have a part to play in that time, so I can assure you that you will not be bored._

_Um…Thanks?_

The image of Olympus started to shimmer, as if it was a mirage. Hecate smiled, and said only a few more words.

_The connection is breaking up. Be warned, I will not be able to do this regularly. It takes too much energy. IMing your friends will not work – it will show you their younger self. Take care. I do not want angry gods coming after me because you got yourself killed. Farewell._

I bowed slightly to her.

_Thank you, my lady._

Her last words were so quiet I almost didn't hear them.

_You're welcome, Perseus Jackson. But perhaps, I should thank you…._

* * *

I woke up suddenly to the smell of smoke. And it didn't smell or sound like a tame little fireplace fire was the thing making it.

I jumped out of bed, instantly going into my alert mode. I stumbled to the window, in time to see Harry rush out of the house, and through the ring of fire surrounding the house. Alarm bells rang in my mind, and I ran downstairs after checking that I had Riptide. The flames had started burning the house, and I could hear others scrambling around, trying to save what they could.

I paid no attention to them, instead running out of the house. A group of adults stood there, staring after Harry, prevented from following him because of the fire. However, as I had discovered last year, I had a certain immunity to fire. Ignoring the cries of dismay from Molly, I leapt through the flames and ran after Harry.

Something told me he was in danger – maybe it was the words that Hecate had said. I was never one for letting people get hurt if I could help it. I could hear someone crashing through the tall grass that lay around the house, and I followed stealthily. The person was either very angry, or they simply had no clue how to walk quietly. The sound was replaced by a splash, then silence.

I crept forward and found myself by a marsh of some sort. On a small ground of relatively dry grass stood Harry and the red head called Ginny. They had some sticks out –wands maybe? Both looked nervous and trapped. I assumed that Harry had run out under an impulse. I wasn't sure why Ginny was here. Maybe they were friends?

Before I could react, streams of light, similar to lasers, flew towards the two. I wondered what was so bad about them, but after a quick moment of hard thinking I decided that they must be the visual form of spells.

I know, not bad for a Seaweed Brain huh?

Harry said something in…Latin? And a spell shot out of his wand to intercept one of the many zooming towards him. Ginny was doing the same, but I didn't think that they could last for too long.

I made my way to where one constant stream of light seemed to be coming from. The source was a man, dressed in a black cloak that covered his entire body. I uncapped Riptide, and slowly edged nearer. I was hesitant to use my sword, because there was no guarantee that it would work. But when I was a couple of metres away from the man, I saw him raise his wand again. I realised that Harry and Ginny were both facing away from him, and wouldn't see the attack.

I rushed forward, distracting the man from his original targets. I didn't want to kill him, despite the fact that he obviously wanted to hurt my new friends. Killing humans was not something I did, or enjoyed. So instead if aiming for his heart or neck, I hit him with the flat of my blade on the head to knock him out.

Well, I tried to knock him out.

Riptide passed clean through his head, not injuring him a single bit.

_Uh oh._

The man's expression went from stunned to disbelief, finally arranging itself as smug triumph, his mouth twisting itself into a cruel smirk.

He raised his wand and uttered a word: 'Stupefy'. I managed a shout before the light reached me. My last thoughts were: _I seem to be spending a lot of time unconscious, _before my vision faded and my other senses joined it.

* * *

I woke up 3 hours later. It was still dark, but I could smell smoke. I guessed that the fire was out, because I couldn't see the orange light that showed it was burning, but the house was still smoking. I felt bad for Molly – losing your home was terrible. I had nearly lost Camp Half-Blood, and that was bad enough.

Groaning, I got up. Surprisingly, I was still where I'd fought with the man. I looked around, but saw nobody, and there was no sign that the fight was still going on. I prayed to the gods that Harry and Ginny hadn't been killed.

I decided that I should probably head back to the house – if Molly Weasley was anything like my mom, she would be freaking out right now.

Using the smoke as a guide, I staggered back to the house. I couldn't feel any injuries, but my head didn't feel too good. I hoped that the spell (whatever it was) didn't have any lasting damage.

As I had guessed, the fire was out. I was relieved to see that the house was more or less intact, with only a few severely burnt areas. I suppose that wizards had a spell for putting out fire.

The door burst open as I approached, and Molly rushed out, worry written clearly on her face.

"Oh, thank goodness you're alright! Come in, sit down Percy dear. We've been worried sick about you!" She steered me inside what I suppose was the lounge room, and guided me to a chair.

Harry, Ginny, a red haired boy and a girl with thick, brown hair were also seated in armchairs around the table. Harry looked relieved to see me and I was glad. It was nice to know that people cared about me here.

"There you are! You've been missing for –"

"Three hours? I know." I finished, ignoring the shocked faces around me.

"H-How did you know?" asked Harry, confused.

I shrugged. I didn't really want to tell these people that I'd been knocked out so much that my body told me how long. "I have a watch." I said, holding up my watch/shield.

"Oh."

I grinned. I liked it when people other than me said the stupid sounding 'Oh'. It didn't happen very often, so I was glad when it did.

My smile faded as I remembered the spell that had taken me out. Why hadn't the Curse of Achilles stopped it? Maybe magic didn't count. Or…. maybe going back in time, or the explosion had striped me of it. I decided to test it out.

Reaching behind me, I gently touched where my Achilles Heel should be. But nothing happened. No tingling, or slightly uncomfortable feeling came from there. I sagged. My sword didn't work against these guys, and I wasn't invincible. Great.

"Why did you do that?" asked the new girl. She reminded me of Annabeth (see? more resemblances!), because she had the same knowledgeable air about her. "I'm Hermione by the way."

"Percy Jackson. I wanted to…test something." I answered as vaguely as I could. Hermione looked unsatisfied, but let it go.

Molly bustled in with some food steaming on a tray. "Percy, you need to eat. When was the last time you had food?"

I thought carefully. It had been yesterday – or rather 13 years in the future. However, that was bit confusing so I stuck with yesterday.

"Um…yesterday? Morning?" Molly looked shocked.

"Yesterday! Well then, eat up!"

I did as I was told. The food was delicious, and soon it was gone. I sat back in the chair, and prepared myself for the questions I knew would come.

"What –"

"RON!"

"Oh. Sorry. I mean, who are you?" asked the red haired boy – Ron.

I thought about how much I should tell them. About the war maybe – without details of course – my family, camp.

"Well, my name is Perseus Jackson," I shot a glare at Ron, who was smirking at my full name. "Although I prefer Percy. My mother is Sally Jackson, and I live in New York."

"New York!" burst in Hermione. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm…not sure. You see… I was part of a war. A big one." I stared into the distance, fingering the grey lock of hair I'd gotten from holding up the sky.

"An evil…force wanted to take over the world. Me and my friends from camp fought. We fought so hard. And some…some didn't make it." A tear rolled down my face as I thought of Michael, of Silena, Beckendorf, even Luke. I didn't wipe it away – I wasn't ashamed to weep for lost friends. No matter what anyone says, guys cry too.

"My friend sacrificed himself for us, and I blacked out. When I woke up, I was at Harry's." I paused and thought of my life, my time. "And now I'm stuck here."

The room was silent. Nobody was sure how to react. I wouldn't know either. Finally, the silence was broken by Harry.

"We're in a war too."

I looked at him – a look that clearly said, _Are you serious?_ He nodded.

"A wizard called Voldemort wants to take over our world. And kill me." Harry added.

I nodded thoughtfully. It was very similar to ours – a typical bad guy_ I will rule the world!_ situation. With the wanting to kill Harry bit.

"Why? Why does he want to kill you?" I asked.

Harry exchanged glances with the others. "Because of the prophecy." he said seriously.

Now it all made sense. I knew what a pain prophecies could be. And now I knew why Harry was confused that I didn't know him. In this country – and time – Harry was like, well, me, I guess.

I realised that Hermione had asked me a question.

"So, are you a wizard?"

Again, I thought carefully. "I'm a half-blood." I said eventually, and was surprised when everyone nodded.

"Like Harry here then." said Ron.

Harry? I was even more confused. I didn't think that Harry was a demigod. Then it dawned on me that perhaps half-blood meant something different for them.

"Why did you say that you were stuck here? We're not forcing you to stay." Ginny said.

I shifted uncomfortably. I was wondering how long it would take to get to that. "Well…I can't really."

"Why not? You can just get on a plane!" Ron exclaimed.

I jumped up. "NO! No way am I getting on a plane!" _Zeus would kill me_, I added in my head.

"Ok! Sor-ry!" Ron said hastily. He looked a little grumpy, and I felt bad for yelling.

"No, it's my fault. I get…claustrophobic." I said. It was the first thing that came into my head, and to my relief, everyone accepted the explanation.

"Ok, so you have to stay here for a while." stated Hermione.

I nodded. Ginny looked like she wanted to say something else, but at that moment Molly entered.

"Children, off to bed. You too Percy." We all nodded, and filed slowly up the stairs.

I lay on my bed a long time before falling asleep. I considered what I knew about Harry and his world. And I agreed with Hecate that I could certainly do a lot more good here, than in America. I would help Harry and his friends against this 'Voldemort' person.

With that decided, I turned over and went to sleep.

* * *

**Aww... Percabeth. ;)**

**And Percy isn't invincible! Yay! I'm sorry, but I really don't like him being invincible (except in TLO). So I had tot get rid of the Curse of Achilles. I hope you understand.**

**To those wondering why Annabeth and Grover didn't get sent back too, well, my excuse is that they were further away, so the blast hit Percy, used its energy to send him back in time, then when it reached Annabeth and Grover, the main force was gone. It couldn't transport people back in time anymore. **

**Ok, the real reason was I didn't want them at Hogwarts, so they didn't get transported. I just made that last bit up. :)**

**If you want me to explain some other things, just PM me, or ask them in a review.**

**Next up: Harry! (sorry, not Annabeth. Maybe soon...)**

**NightSand**


	5. Some Answers

**Hey Peeps!**

**I'm back! **

**Yeah... Sorry. My excuses are: School, Band, Homework...Laziness.**

**Hehehe... laziness.**

**Anyway, chapter 5! It's here! Yay! You can all go mad with joy!**

**Or not.**

**BTW, THANKS SOOO MUCH! I'm amazed at how popular my story is. All of you who even just clicked on my story are amazing. Thank you again.**

**Answer time!**

**So, most of you have been saying... ****_"Yes! He's not invincible! But... How the hell is he going to fight if his sword doesn't work?"_**

**Rest assured, Percy will be able to fight! After all, he has to save Harry and CO. a couple of time doesn't he?**

**Oops. I just gave some stuff away.**

**And to Darkening, well, don't worry, Percy won't be using a wand... in a way. You'll find out next chapter!**

**I should probably give you the story. Sorry. I'm slightly hyper right now. **

**You can tell can't you?**

**Disclaimer: This is a crossover. Which means that if I was Rick Riordan, I would be copyrighting J.K. Rowling. And vise versa. Seriously people, think!**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Some Answers**

**Harry**

I shifted in my seat for perhaps the twelfth time that minute. Where was Percy? He had apparently rushed after me and Ginny, but we hadn't seen him during the fight. When the Death Eaters had gone, we'd returned to the house to find Mrs Weasley going out of her mind with worry. That was when I had found out that Percy was missing.

Of course, we had searched for him, but the ground around the Burrow was a natural maze. We had no hope of finding the place where we'd been before, let alone Percy.

I shifted again.

"Will you _stop_ that!" said Hermione in exasperation.

I stopped, and looked sheepish. "Sorry. I'm just worried about Percy."

"Who is he though?" asked Ron.

I realised that I hadn't told them about how I met Percy. I decided that they should probably know.

"Well, I'm not sure who he is," I began.

"What do you mean by that?" Ginny asked.

"He hasn't really told me anything, except for his name. You see, he just appeared at my house.

The Dursleys were out, and I was about to head to the playground, for some time to think. And there he was, lying on the path in front of my house. He looked like he'd just woken up."

"You've never seen him before? Do you think he's homeless?" Hermione looked like she would burst with questions.

"No, I don't think so. He doesn't seem like the type – you'll see what I mean if - I mean, when you meet him."

"Come on man, you've got to tell us more! What happened when he turned up?" Ron leaned forward eagerly.

"Ok, fine. I'll tell you."I took a deep breath, and told my friends about earlier that day.

"As I said before, I was heading to the playground when I saw him. He was staring at our grass, apparently deep in thought. I think I startled him a bit, because he blinked and looked surprised. I guess it could have been that we look pretty similar." I added thoughtfully.

"Wow, you didn't tell us that! He looked like you? The scar and everything? Wicked. I mean, this guy just has a scar like yo – "Ron was getting more and more excited about the thought of another Harry Potter. It reminded me of when I first met him. He'd said 'wicked' to my scar then too.

"Ron, he didn't have a scar, like or unlike mine." I said bluntly.

Ron was startled out of him daydream. He looked slightly crestfallen. "Really? Well that's stupid. He couldn't have one hidden by his hair?" he asked hopefully.

I sighed. "No, He couldn't. Percy just has black hair and green eyes. We aren't identical twins."

Ginny nodded. I remembered that she had seen him too. "Yeah, Percy and Harry aren't twins. They could be long-lost siblings though." she said.

The room was quiet as the other two digested the information. After a couple of minutes, I decided to continue.

"So, Percy looked surprised to see me. I was surprised to see him, that's for sure. I guess I'd been a bit nervous ever since the dementor attack, so I was a little suspicious. I asked him who he was, and he told me that his name was Percy Jackson. He tried to stand, but it seemed like he couldn't. Percy then asked me for my name. I was taken aback that he didn't know me."

"Harry, muggles don't know you! Why did you assume that he should know you?" asked Hermione reprovingly.

"It was the way he arrived! It looked like he'd Apparated or something, so of course I assumed that he was a wizard. I did notice that he had an American accent though." I said in my defence.

Ginny agreed with me. "Yes, I noticed that too. Do you think he came from America?"

I nodded. "I'm almost certain of it. You see, after I told him my name and helped him up, he asked me to direct him to the Empire State Building – apparently he was meeting friends there.

"Anyway, I told him that this was England. His face paled, and he looked panicked. He kind of collapsed back onto the ground when I confirmed that he wasn't in America."

Hermione looked concerned at that. I didn't blame her. I had been pretty shocked myself when it happened. Percy hadn't seemed like the type to be weak.

"Before I could ask if he was alright, he asked me about a freak storm in America."

"What freak storm? I haven't heard anything about that!"Hermione exclaimed. I shrugged my shoulders.

"I don't know. I hadn't heard anything either. I told him so, and he asked for a newspaper. I ran inside to get one, and gave it to Percy. He flicked quickly through it, but I don't think he found what he wanted. Percy was about to give it back to me when he saw something on the front page. It obviously scared him, because he turned even paler than before. He asked me the year."

"Year? What idiot wouldn't know the year?" said Ron in disbelief, and then yelped as Ginny hit him in the head.

"Shut up Ronald! We want to hear what Harry says!" she told him. Ron scowled and rubbed his head, muttering about stupid full names and little sisters. I ignored him and continued.

"Well, I told him the year. He lay back on the ground and closed his eyes."

"Then what?" demanded Hermione impatiently.

"Nothing. He was unconscious. I dragged him up to my room, and waited for Dumbledore." I pause, thinking about the scene with Percy and his pen. "Although… when he woke up and I came back into my room he jumped up and reached for a pen. A pen. Can you believe it?"

Ron snorted with laughter. Ginny just looked confused. But Hermione frowned thoughtfully. I imagined I could see the gears in her brain moving.

Before she could ask me anything, we heard the front door bang open, and Mrs Weasley rushed out. I hoped it was Percy, and that he was unhurt.

We all waited for what seemed like a very long minute. Then we heard Mrs Weasley fussing over Percy, and the door opened. A bemused Percy was led straight to a chair and sat down.

I knew that the relief must be showing on my face, but I kept my sigh to myself – by doing it inwardly of course. Percy seemed unhurt, if a little wet and dirty.

"There you are! You've been missing for –" I began.

"Three hours? I know." said Percy with a grin.

I was shocked. "H-How did you know?" I stammered out. There wasn't a clock that showed the time in the Burrow.

Percy shrugged. "I have a watch." He showed it to us.

"Oh." I couldn't think of anything else to say. For some reason, that made Percy's grin even wider. Then it faded, and a worried look crossed his face. Percy reached behind him and pushed a point on his back. Nothing happened, but he slumped in his chair with a glum expression on his face. I wondered what was wrong. Maybe he was hurt.

Hermione was evidently thing the same as me."Why did you do that?" she asked, then added, "I'm Hermione by the way."

"Percy Jackson. I wanted to…test something."

Huh. He really didn't want to give anything away, did he? I was surprised when Hermione didn't ask more, but then there was an air about Percy that suggested he wasn't about to answer in more detail.

Mrs Weasley came in with a tray of steaming food. "Percy, you need to eat. When was the last time you had food?"

Percy hesitated. I could almost see him thinking, _'…last night? No… I didn't have lunch…hmm…'_ Eventually he answered. "Um…yesterday? Morning?"

Mrs Weasley's motherly instincts kicked in. "Yesterday! Well then, eat up!"

Percy looked happy to oblige. He dug in to the food with good will. I noticed Mrs Weasley leaving, and decided that she probably wanted to give us time alone, to get to know Percy and let Percy get to know us. I was grateful to her.

It didn't take Percy long to finish the food. When he was done, he sat back on the chair and waited. He didn't have to wait for long.

"What –" Ron began, but was cut off my Hermione.

"RON!" she looked reproachfully at him. He went slightly red, then continued.

"Oh. Sorry. I mean, who are you?" he asked.

Percy thought for a minute. I guessed that he was figuring out how much to tell us.

"Well, my name is Perseus Jackson," he stopped to glare at Ron who was smirking at his full name. I hid a snort. Ron was one to talk!

"Although I prefer Percy. My mother is Sally Jackson, and I live in New York."

So that's why he thought he was in America. But it didn't explain why he had turned up at my house.

"New York! What are you doing here?" burst out Hermione.

"I'm…not sure." said Percy uncertainly. " You see… I was part of a war. A big one." Percy paused, staring into the distance without seeing. I noticed that he was playing with a small lock of grey hair that I had not seen before. I wondered why he had it.

"An evil…force wanted to take over the world. Me and my friends from camp fought. We fought so hard. And some…some didn't make it." A single tear trickled down his face, and the faraway look was tinted by a deep sadness. I knew about that – I'd felt the same way when Cedric, and then Sirius, had died.

Percy took a deep breath and continued."My friend sacrificed himself for us, and I blacked out. When I woke up, I was at Harry's." He paused again, before concluding his story. "And now I'm stuck here."

The small room was silent. I felt so bad for Percy. He had fought in a war, and then disappeared at the end. A thought struck me. Did he even know if his side had won?

Something about his last sentences bugged me. I couldn't think what it was, but one of his sentences didn't make sense.

I shrugged off that thought – it would come to me later. Instead, I broke the silence.

"We're in a war too."

Percy looked at me and I saw the question in his eyes. I nodded in answer.

"A wizard called Voldemort wants to take over our world. And kill me." I said.

Percy nodded slowly. He didn't seem too surprised, but then he had been in a war already. This one probably wasn't that different.

"Why? Why does he want to kill you?" Percy asked.

I glanced at the others before saying, "Because of the prophecy."

Percy seemed to accept that. In fact, it was like he already had experience with prophecies. _Maybe he has, _I thought.

Hermione asked him another question. "So, are you a wizard?"

Percy hesitated. I had to admit, I was rather curious about this too. I wanted to know it I'd been correct in my assumption that he wasn't a wizard.

After about a minute, he said cautiously, "I'm a half-blood."

I was surprised. I had been sure that Percy wasn't a wizard, but how did he know about half-bloods then?

"Like Harry here then." said Ron. For a moment I thought I saw a flash of confusion in Percy's eyes, but it disappeared so quickly I thought I imagined it.

"Why did you say that you were stuck here? We're not forcing you to stay." As soon as Ginny said that, I realised what had been bothering me. Percy had said he was stuck here! But why? I noticed that Percy was looking uncomfortable at the question.

"Well…I can't really." he said vaguely. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Percy Jackson was nearly as much a mystery as he had been when I first saw him!

I was about to ask why when Ron beat me to it.

"Why not? You can just get on a plane!"

Percy leapt up. I saw alarm and fear on his face. _What's so bad about a plane?_ I thought.

"NO! No way am I getting on a plane!"

"Ok! Sor-ry!" Ron said quickly in a peeved tone. He obviously had not liked being shouted at.

Percy looked a little guilty, and spoke again in a quieter tone. "No, it's my fault. I get…claustrophobic."

That was fair enough. I didn't blame him for not wanting to get on a plane. But I couldn't help wondering if I had actually heard the slight hesitation before he answered.

"Ok, so you have to stay here for a while." Hermione said, and Percy nodded.

Ginny opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, Mrs Weasley came in.

"Children, off to bed. You too Percy." she ordered, and we all went up that stairs to our rooms. Mrs Weasley was not someone you wanted to disobey.

I wanted to talk to Ron and Hermione about what we'd learnt – or rather, what we hadn't – but I didn't want to risk Mrs Weasley's wrath. I'd have to wait until tomorrow.

* * *

That night I dreamt of a boy with black hair and green eyes.

The boy was younger than me – probably no more than 12. He stood in a creek that ran through some woods, and watched dumbly as the group surrounding him – including a centaur – knelt before him. He had a strange sign floating above his head – a green trident. It obviously meant something important, because the centaur began to say a few words in an awed tone.

My dream changed suddenly. The same boy was in the same woods, along with another older boy, who had a scar running down his face. He clicked his fingers, and a scorpion crawled out of a hole in the ground. The younger boy started, and reached for something but froze at some words the other said. The scorpion crawled onto his shoe.

The two traded words with each other as the scorpion moved further up the boy. Then the one with the scar slashed his sword and disappeared. The scorpion lunged, and just before it was cut in two, it had stung the green eyed boy. He staggered up, and plunged his hand into the creek. It did nothing, and he stumbled away. He already looked green and sickly. Two ladies appeared from the trees, and caught him as he fell. Everything went black.

The next image was with the same two guys, but now they were on a ship. They were fighting each other, and as I watched the younger boy got stabbed in the leg. He collapsed in pain, and rolled away from his opponent. For some strange reason he seemed to be focused on getting to the pool. The older blonde advanced, grinning wickedly, and I knew that he wouldn't get there in time. And it looked like he knew it too. I saw despair in his eyes, then my dream shifted and I was seeing a new scene.

The boy my dream was following was kneeling on the ground, barely holding himself up. A funnel of cloud led from the sky to his shoulders. He trembled, looking around him with eyes glazed over by pain. It was as if the clouds were immensely heavy. I wondered if they were.

The scene changed. This time the boy was behind a bronze cauldron. A blonde girl the same age kissed him, and then vanished. A group of dog-like creatures spotted him and charged. The boy ran from his hiding place into the centre of a platform. More creatures surrounded him, and started pelting the boy with lava. He screamed – my dream self shuddered. Then the walls shook, and water combined with fire. The place exploded, and the boy was sent flying up through the sky, impossibly high, before he started plummeting down to Earth.

He never hit the ground, because the scene changed again. I saw a vast army of…_things_. Facing them was a small group of about 40 teenagers. At their head was the boy again, standing next to the blonde girl he'd been with before. They all had hard expressions on their faces. Then they charged.

I saw them fight. And I saw them fall. Friends crying out as they fell. But the boy didn't. He just kept fighting.

The scene changed one more time. The green eyed, black haired boy was in a destroyed room, facing the older scarred blonde. I saw indecision on his face, before it cleared and he gave a knife to the older boy.

The blond boy took a piece of his armour off, and stabbed himself. A ball of golden light surrounded him. The room shook, and the boy with green eyes was thrown off his feet. The air seemed to crackle with power, and the light grew brighter. It expanded, reaching the younger boy and encasing him in light. Then it vanished, and the boy with it.

* * *

I woke, panting. It was like I'd had a nightmare, but I couldn't remember anything about it. There was just a niggle at the back of my mind, telling me that it had been important. Shrugging it off, I lay still and fell asleep again.

* * *

***sigh* I love that dream... I had such fun writing it...**

**As you smart people would have been able to tell, that was Percy in various stages of his life. Harry can't remember it, because I still want Percy's heritage a secret. Understand? No? Too bad (actually, if you're still confused, just PM me. I won't bite!).**

**And OMG! The first part of this chapter annoyed me SO much! All these people kept interrupting Harry who was telling them a story! I kind of yelled shut up to them as I was writing...**

**I sincerely apologise for the slowness of this story. Trust me, I want to get to Hogwarts too! And next chapter, they should be! Hooray! **

**Next up: Percy! (I know, what about Annabeth? Don't you worry. Chapter 7 will be from her POV. And you'll hate me for it!)**

**Yeah...I'm going to make a cliffy...**

**Hehehe...**


	6. A Hat Starts to Talking to Me

**SORRY! **

**SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SOR - Why can't I make this any bigger?!**

**Anyway, where was I... Oh yes!**

**SORRY!**

**Instead of giving you all my excuses, I'll just give you the chapter. Enjoy.**

**Dedication: I'm dedicating this chapter to FateofChaos. They have reviewed every single chapter. Thank you!**

**If someone else has done that too, then I apologise. This chapter is dedicated to you too.**

**Disclaimer: I should hope that Rick Riordan is working on the House of Hades, not this story. I don't own Percy Jackson. J.K. Rowling is hopefully working on Pottermore. I don't own Harry Potter.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: A Hat Starts Talking to Me**

**Percy**

After a restful night's sleep, I woke up feeling refreshed. I could smell something delicious coming from downstairs, and that, combined with my rumbling stomach, drove me out of my bed. I quickly made my way downstairs, to where Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting around the kitchen table. Hermione had a magnificent black eye, but I was too distracted by the plate of eggs, sausages and toast steaming on the bench beside them to even wonder about how she could have possibly gotten that so early in the morning. Molly's cooking last night had been wonderful, and I was keen to sample some more.

As I descended the last few steps Harry caught sight of me, and beckoned me over. I sat down on the seat next to Ron, and Harry leant over to the bench to grab the plate of hot food.

"Here y'go. I bet you're starving." He grinned as I nodded and slid the plate over to me. I smiled back before shovelling a forkful of food into my mouth.

For the next few minutes I contented myself with spacing out and eating. I pondered about what my friends at Camp Half-Blood would be doing. It made me slightly sad thinking about them, but I knew they were safe, so the sadness was more wistfulness – I was wishing I could be there.

I was shaken from my thoughts by four owls flying into the room and onto the table. My first reaction was; _Athena! Help! I don't mean any harm!_ Then I realised they weren't attacking me – indeed, except for a glare I was getting from one (yes, I'm quite sure it was glaring at me), they more or less ignored me.

Well, three of them did. The fourth stalked over to me with great dignity and stuck out its leg. To my surprise, there was a letter attached to it, addressed to me. I hesitantly untied it from the owl's leg, and opened it.

**_Dear Perseus Jackson,_**

That alone started alarm bells ringing in my mind. Usually, the only people who called me Perseus were my parents, or evil monsters that wanted to kill me. Not good.

**_Unfortunately when we met yesterday we were unable to talk. I desire greatly to meet once again and discuss some important details with you – namely a possible spot for you at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._**

**_Please meet me at the Leaky Cauldron on Saturday 31_****_st_****_ August. I'm sure the Weasley family will have some shopping to do then._**

**_I look forward to our meeting._**

**_Sincerely,_**

**_Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_**

**_Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_**

I had to smile slightly when I saw the name. Apparently I wasn't the only one with a rather embarrassing long name. Although, I felt that his was a lot worse.

I was rather curious about meeting Dumbledore again – he'd seemed kind yesterday, with a twinkle in his eye that suggested he was not an old grumpy man. I hoped that he could shed some more light on the war Harry had briefly mentioned last night.

I looked up from my letter to see the others also clutching letters. I wondered if they had also been invited for a meeting with Dumbledore.

"Only failed Divination and History of Magic, and who cares about them?" I heard Ron say. "Here – swap –"

Harry and Ron swapped letters, and I leant over Harry's shoulder to read. The letter seemed to be a report of some sort, although it had a strange grading system. I assumed it was the way the wizards did it.

"Knew you'd be top in Defence Against the Dark Arts. We've done alright, haven't we?" said Ron with a grin.

I looked over to where Hermione was still hunched over her letter.

"Hermione? How did you do?" I asked carefully. Say something wrong about grades to people with a high IQ, and your head could be torn off. I'd learnt that much from Annabeth.

Hermione looked up. "I – not bad."

Ron snorted. "Oh, come off it." He snatched her results, ignoring her protests and quickly looked at it. "Yep, - ten 'Outstandings' and one 'Exceeds Expectations' in Defence Against the Dark Arts. You're actually disappointed, aren't you?" he said jokingly.

She blushed slightly, but firmly denied it.

Harry then noticed I was holding a letter. "Hey, Percy, what's that? Don't tell me it's your O.W.L's."

_Owls?_ I shook my head. "It's a message from Dumbledore. He wants to meet me at the…" I looked down to check where I was meeting him. "The Leaky Cauldron. To discuss school stuff, I guess."

Ron nodded, already dismissing the news. "Well, we're N.E.W.T students now!" He grinned, then looked around. "Are there any more sausages?"

* * *

"Hey Percy!"

I turned around and saw Harry, standing in the doorway with an odd looking ball in his hands.

"Do you want to play Quidditch?"

_Quidditch? What the hell is that?_

"Um… Quidditch? What's Quidditch?

Harry sighed. "Quidditch is the most famous sport in wizard society. You have a few different balls – the quaffle, the bludgers and the snitch. Most players concentrate on throwing the quaffle through a set of hoops to score, while looking out for the bludgers. If you get hit by them, well, let's just say it's not nice. The snitch you try and catch. At least, the seeker does. Haven't you heard of it?"

"Oh, yeah… Quidditch! I haven't really played it much but…" To tell the truth, I had no idea what it was, but it sounded cool. And on the same level as our Capture the Flag game.

"I'm sure you'll pick it up." Harry said reassuringly.

I nodded, and followed him out the door.

Outside waited Ron, Hermione and Ginny. They were all holding brooms, which confused me. What were they for? Did you sweep the balls from one end of the field to the other, like hockey?

Harry handed me one. "Here you go. I assume you've ridden one before."

I started nodding, then did a double take at his words. "Wait, we _ride_ these? Like the witches in fairytales?" I asked incredulously.

I can tell you, the look that Harry gave me told me the answer quite plainly.

"You haven't ridden a broom before?"

I started laughing, thinking this was a joke. "Do you seriously ride brooms? Oh my gods!" I kept laughing, then stopped when Harry nodded seriously. "No way…"

Inside I started panicking. I had to fly in this game? Uh uh. I am SO not doing that.

"Well…" I tried to come up with an excuse that would get me out of playing this nightmare of a game. "I think I'll sit out this game. You know, see how you guys play it in England." I said a little awkwardly.

Harry looked at me shrewdly. "You're afraid of heights, aren't you?"

The question caught me off guard. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You're afraid of heights. That's why you don't want to play. Or go on planes." he added, almost as an afterthought.

My initial was to deny it – I wasn't! Well, not in the way Harry meant it. I had no problem with going up high buildings, but being in the sky at the mercy of Zeus – who, might I add, was not very merciful when it came to sons of Poseidon – was not something I enjoyed doing. But the more I thought about Harry's reason, the more I realised that it could be the perfect excuse to stay out of the sky.

"Yeah. I am." I said, looking back down and scuffing, my shoe on the ground. I hoped this would make it look like I was a bit ashamed of the fact.

Harry nodded. " I guess you shouldn't play then."

I gave him a half smile and turned to go inside. I almost missed Harry's muttered sentence.

"But why didn't he know about brooms?"

* * *

Time passed quickly at the Burrow. I learned things about the wizards and their world by watching, and listening. Whenever I was asked questions about me, I avoided them. Somehow I felt that I shouldn't tell Harry and rest about my life just yet.

So, instead I stayed in the attic and thought about Annabeth, Grover, Rachel, Chiron, my mom and all the others back in my time. Sometimes it would make me incredibly homesick.

Despite this, it was nice. Molly fussed over me and made me feel at home. Ron, Harry and Hermione were friendly, and generally included me in most of the things they did – except for Quidditch. I stayed well away from that game. Just the thought of flying in the air with only a piece of wood to stop me from falling when Zeus struck me down nearly gave me nightmares.

* * *

Arthur Weasley peered out the window of the car. "Ah, good, he's here!" he exclaimed.

We'd all gotten into a car to go to the Leaky Cauldron – Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Molly, Arthur and me. After getting over the shock that the car was bigger on the inside, the trip was fun. I'd been thinking about my meeting with Dumbledore, and was actually looking forward to seeing him again.

At Arthur's words, I looked out too. The car had stopped outside a rundown building. Standing in front was a large – as in, **_really_** big – man with shaggy hair and beard. He was smiling broadly at us.

Harry got out of the car and the man instantly grabbed him, and pulled him into a hug.

"Harry! Buckbeak – Witherwings, I mean – yeh should see him, Harry, he's so happy ter be back in the open air –"

"Glad he's pleased." Harry interrupted, grinning.

The man turned to me. "Well, this must be young Percy Jackson! Dumbledore's waiting for yeh inside. I'm Hagrid. Rubeus Hagrid. Nice ter meet yeh."

He stuck out his hand, and I warily accepted it. The hug he'd given Harry had looked slightly painful.

To my relief, Hagrid didn't break my hand.

"Off yeh go then, inside, all o' yeh." Hagrid gestured us all inside the ramshackle building that I assumed was the Leaky Cauldron.

It was dark in there, and completely empty except for two people. I recognised one as Dumbledore, but the other was someone new.

As we entered, Dumbledore turned around. He smiled kindly at us, and once again I was reminded of Chiron.

"Hello, Molly, Arthur. Ms Granger, Ms Weasley. Mr Weasley, Harry." he greeted each one of them in turn, then turned to me.

"And of course, Mr Jackson. Thank you for agreeing to this meeting."

I smiled back at him. He looked at Hagrid and said, "Hagrid, would you please take the Weasleys, Ms Granger and Harry to Diagon Alley? I'm sure they have lots of school supplies to get."

"O' course Professor. Come one, yeh lot. This way." Hagrid led the others out through a door at the back.

Dumbledore turned back to me and gestured to a small table, where he sat down on one of the chairs.

"Come, make yourself comfortable. We have a lot to discuss."

The words sounded ominous, but I was sure he hadn't meant it that way. I sat down on the other chair across the table from the old professor.

"So, Mr Jackson –"

"Please, call me Percy." I interrupted. 'Mr Jackson' was too posh – it didn't suit me at all.

"Percy. I understand that you don't come from around here."

" No, I don't . I'm from America. New York." I explained.

Dumbledore raised his eyebrow above his half moon spectacles. "America. If you don't mind my asking, what were you doing at Harry's place? "

I was about to tell Dumbledore the same story I'd told the others, but then I hesitated. I got this feeling, urging me to tell the truth – the whole truth.

_Go on. You can trust him._

I recognised the voice as Hecate. I briefly wondered how she knew about Dumbledore, but then dismissed it. That didn't matter.

I cleared my throat. "That's a bit of a long story. Where should I start?"

Dumbledore smiled again, the twinkle in his eye appearing once more. "Why not at the beginning?" he said gently.

I nodded. "I suppose, it all started on that field trip…"

Dumbledore was a good listener. While I told him everything, he just sat and listened. Didn't interrupt once.

When I was finished, he reclined back in his chair. "The Greek gods are real? Well, that is fascinating. Tell me," he said, leaning forward. "Do you have your sword here?"

"Um, yeah." I brought Riptide out to show him. Dumbledore picked it up, studying it. After a moment or two, he put it down and looked me straight in the eye.

"So, Percy. Do you have any plans on what you are going to do until you go back?"" he asked.

I shrugged. "Dunno. I haven't really thought about it." A thought occurred to me. "You said – in the letter – that I might be able to go to your school. Could I?"

Strangest time of my life – asking to go to school. Oh, I didn't hate school; it just generally didn't work out. I'd blow up half the school, or slice a cheerleader in half. You know, the normal stuff that got me expelled.

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, indeed. It would be to many people's advantage if you were to attend Hogwarts. Harry could use some help this year. Dark times are coming, and he needs every friend he can get."

The words reminded me eerily of Chiron's in the last year or so of the Second Titan war. I agreed. Friends were very important when you have a prophecy hanging over you.

Dumbledore spoke again. "Now, since you will be going to a magic school, you will need a wand." He held up a hand as I started to protest against it. I honestly did not want a wand. So far, I would say that magic + Percy = big disaster.

"I think I have a solution that will be satisfactory." He drew his wand out of his robes and pointed it at Riptide. "_Virgamque Adumbratis!"_

To my shock, my sword began to change shape. It got longer, and one end sharpened into a point, until lying on the table was another wand.

I stared at Dumbledore. "Is that… Is that my sword?"

He nodded. "I simply altered the disguise. This will be enough to stop questions. It will not shoot and spells, or do magic of any kind however."

I laughed. "That's alright. I'd be a danger to your students if I could do magic." I frowned as another problem struck me. "But it's still useless."

"Not to worry. _Nocere Veneficus!_ There. Now, the sword will work on trained wizards and witches. Regular muggles will be unaffected, even if they have traces of magical blood."

I smiled at the professor, pleased that I could use familiar ways of fighting. "Thank you. I felt a bit useless before."

Dumbledore smiled back. "I'll see you at Hogwarts Percy. Don't worry about school gear, I'll arrange to have that at Hogwarts. When you arrive, go with Hagrid and the first years. You'll be alright."

He stood and said goodbye. Then he was gone with a pop.

I heard voices and turned around. Harry and the others had just come back through the door, loaded with books, robes and other stuff that I assumed was for Hogwarts.

Harry looked questioning at me. "How did it go?"

I sighed, then smiled again. For the first time in weeks, I felt like I had a purpose again. "I'm coming to school with you."

* * *

I looked out the window at the countryside flashing by. "How much longer?"

Harry shrugged. "Couple of hours." He turned his attention back to his thoughts, basically ignoring me.

I felt my heart sinking. This train ride was hell for me, a demigod with ADHD. The only thing that made me feel slightly better was that we weren't flying. Still, I knew this would be a long trip.

I sat there for a while, growing more and more restless. A couple of times I attempted conversations with Neville, a wizard who I'd just met, and who seemed to be socially awkward. Needless to say, the conversations did not go far.

A sudden movement in the corner of my eye had me up on my feet in an instant. The stress of having to sit still in a small compartment was playing on my nerves, keeping me on red alert. I relaxed when I saw it was Ron and Hermione coming back from the prefect carriage.

Ron slumped onto the seat next to Harry. "Wish the lunch trolley would hurry up, I'm starving" he moaned. I sat up straighter. Lunch trolley? That sounded good.

"Hi, Neville, hi, Luna." Ron greeted the other two people who I'd recently met, who were now sitting next to me.

"Guess what? Malfoy's not doing prefect duty. He's just sitting in his compartment with the other Slytherins, we saw him when we passed."

Harry looked interested. "What did he do when he saw you?" he asked.

Ron shrugged. "The usual. Not like him, though, is it? Well – that is – but why isn't he out there bullying first years?" While he was talking Ron demonstrated the rude hand gesture that this 'Malfoy' had done – the middle finger pointed straight up.

"Dunno." Harry's voice seemed pretty calm and disinterested, but when I looked at him, I could tell he was planning something. And I should know – I've used just that tactic on Chiron a couple of times.

I tuned out again as silence fell on the group, turning my thoughts to Hogwarts. What would it be like? What classes would I take? When I started paying attention again, Harry and Neville were gone.

"Where'd Harry go?" I asked, slightly concerned.

"The 'Slug Club.' Special invites from Professor Slughorn." answered Hermione, looking a little disgruntled.

I nodded, not really understanding but deciding not to pursue the topic any further.

* * *

We sat quietly for the remainder of the trip, interrupted only by the lunch trolley. A few times, when sitting still was too much for me, I got up and walked along the train. I got quite a few stares, but I ignored them, knowing it was only curiosity about the new kid.

A couple of minutes before we arrived, maybe an hour after darkness had fallen, Ron and Hermione left again, presumably to do more prefect things, or something like that. I was left alone with Luna.

I didn't mind her – she was kind, and honest. People might have thought she was loopy, but I was fairly certain she was a clear sighted mortal, like Rachel and my mom. She could see through the Mist, and see things that others couldn't.

"You've got Wrackspurt, did you know?"

I looked at Luna. She was regarding me with her vague but piercing eyes.

"Really? No, I didn't. But that's fine, I don't mind." I responded with a smile.

"Not many people believe me. But you do. Why?" Luna asked in her airy voice.

I shifted in my seat. "I've seen things people don't believe too."

Luna nodded, and seemed content.

I glanced out the window again, and saw that we were pulling into a station. Beyond it was a great castle, beside a lake. The sight of it took my breath away.

"We're here." Luna said softly, looking out next to me.

"Yes. Yes, we are." I agreed.

* * *

I got off the train and looked around for Hagrid. Given his size, it wasn't hard to spot him. I could see him clearly over the sea of heads, calling the first years.

I made my way over, weaving through the crowd of students. He was standing by the lake, next to some boats. This made me excited – water was my home territory, and I loved being near it. This mode of transport was my favourite.

We waited for the rest of the first years, then Hagrid called for everyone to get into the boats. I chose carefully, claiming one on the edge so if anything happened relating to my blood – i.e. some fish crowding around me calling me lord – I wouldn't get caught out and have to do some embarrassing explaining.

The boats were well made – small but sturdy. I felt content at being near water once more, and the familiar peace settled over me. I was ready to start the year at a magic school.

After disembarking off the boats, we made our way to the Great Hall, where a feast was apparently going to be held. At a set of giant doors we met a stern old lady who introduced herself as Professor McGonagall. She told us some things about the Sorting – whatever that was – but I didn't really listen, too busy looking at the castle. It made me think of Annabeth, and how she would love it here because she was so into architecture.

"Mr Jackson!"

The call drew my attention back to Professor McGonagall.

"Um, sorry, what was that?" I asked sheepishly.

"You will be called last, due to your age. Now, please follow me." She led me and the first years through the doors into the Great Hall.

The size was similar to that of the throne room on Olympus, but the furniture was all human size. I heard the gasps of the first years as they marvelled at it.

As we were led towards the end of the hall, everyone – four long tables worth of people – turned to watch. Several times I caught people staring at me, and once or twice a girl would blush and turn to whisper something to her friends. I wondered why.

I nearly ran into the first years in front of me when we stopped, I was so distracted by my thoughts.

Professor McGonagall was standing beside a stool, with an old battered hat set upon it. She cleared her throat and addressed our small group.

"Right. You are about to be sorted into your house. Slytherin, for the cunning and ambitious. Ravenclaw, where the clever and bright dwell. It might be Hufflepuff, for those filled with loyalty. Or Gryffindor, for the brave hearted. While you are here at Hogwarts your house will be your home. For good behaviour, you will earn points to go towards the House Cup. Misbehave, and points will be taken away."

The professor drew out a scroll from within her gown.

"Atorie, Freya."

A small mousy girl stepped forward. Professor McGonagall placed the hat upon her head. There was a pause, then to my great surprise, the hat shouted, "Hufflepuff!"

The yellow house cheered, and Freya jumped off the stool to sit in a seat around the table.

"Bartemus, Benjamin."

The tall boy was quickly sorted into Slytherin.

And so it went on, kid after kid being divided into one of the four houses. Eventually it was only me and one first year left.

"Song, Abigail."

The girl bounced up to the stool, her blonde curls bobbing with her movement. This time the hat took a little longer deciding. Finally it yelled, "Ravenclaw!"

Abigail made her way to the Ravenclaw table and sat. Then it was just me.

"Jackson, Perseus."

I resisted the urge to groan as I heard a few people giggle at my full name.

"It's Percy." I muttered as I sat on the stool. The hat was lowered onto my head.

_"A demigod, eh?" _ The voice made me jump. I hadn't expected the hat to actually talk to me.

"Um… yeah, but don't announce it to everyone. It's kind of a secret." I informed the hat as quietly as I could.

_"Mmm… from the future too. My, you have an interesting past. But where to put you? Fatal flaw is loyalty… Yes, you would do well in Hufflepuff. But such bravery too. Facing down a Titan does take courage…"_

The hat rambled on, musing about which of the two houses to place me in. I didn't mind – both seemed nice – but I just wanted to get out from being the centre of attention.

At last the hat made its mind up.

_"Well then… BETTER BE –"_

* * *

**SLYTHERIN!**

**Well... What did you think? It is a long chapter. 4000 words! I worked hard on it.**

**Now, this will be a REALLY long Authors note, with me answering reviews, giving my excuses and just telling you guys what has been happening in my life for the 2 months I haven't written.**

**Skip this if you have no desire to read all this.**

**So, to start it off...**

**MY EXCUSES!**

**1. There were so many stories I wanted to write, I had author's overload. Some of you may know, I posted a two-shot about Percy's death. That was just one of many ideas I had clogging up my brain.**

**2. I was busy. No seriously, I was. School started handing out assignment after assignment, and on top of that I have Senior Concert Band rehearsals and performances that I had to practise for. I was flat out.**

**3. I had some lovely reviews (no, that was not sarcasm. I'm being serious) telling me that I explain some things too much. Thank you to those two guests who pointed that out to me! I really appreciated them , but it made me keep second guessing myself whenever I started writing. I was always writing a paragraph, then scrubbing it out because I thought it went into too much unnecessary depth.**

**4. By the time I over came all these obstacles, I had writers block. It annoyed me to no end. I was so guilty - ask my friend Kannabel. Everyday I complained about not writing - but the words wouldn't come, and I didn't want to force myself, and roll out another filler chapter. **

**So, I'm sorry, but you had to wait.**

**As you can see, I did over come these things! Funnily enough, it was because I was sick all week last week, and so stayed home from school. I had plenty of time, so I sat myself down outside and forced myself to write. Now, here is the chapter!**

**REVIEW ANSWERS!**

**Booklover0608 : No, he didn't recognise Percy. He was asleep, so his brain wasn't fully functioning. I really just felt like not naming Percy, that's all. ;)**

**Juli Beawr: He found out! Hope this is an alright way.**

**books R fun: Draco will come into the story soon, but for now, he is just briefly mentioned. But do not fear - Percy will meet him soon enough!**

**Reyna Potter : Well... you will have to wait. At the moment, I think it will mostly be an accident, but not entirely sure.**

**Guest No. 999: Thank you for your review. Honestly, thank you! You told me what you thought, and I don't blame you. No, I don't count it as a flame. I thought long and hard about your review, but I've decided that I will write the chapters how it flows to me. If that means nothing much happening, then I'm sorry, but that's how it will work. And I will keep using bits from the book, because it just makes it better (in my opinion). I'm writing this story for my own enjoyment, and I can't really change my way of writing. Sorry. But thank you again for you review. :)**

**Bob The Bunny: I know that Percy is 13 years younger than Harry because the Harry Potter books are based in the 1990s. The Half-blood Prince is from 1996 to 1997. If Harry is 16 then, and Percy is only 16 in 2009, then Harry must be 13 years older then him. Understand?**

**smilequigley96: Sorry, but Percy will remain a mystery to the wizards for a little while still. Harry's story will be told - I mean, its kind of hard to keep it a secret when everyone is talking about the return of You-Know-Who, isn't it?**

**WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING?**

**Well, through my band a Japanese band came over for 5 days. We performed together, took them sightseeing and generally wore everyone out. A succession of late nights made me very tired.**

**I am now obsessed with Doctor Who again.**

**I love it, its the best show ever, and you might find some subtle references (or not so subtle) in my writing. Like Abigail Song, with her blond curls.**

**Song. Blonde. Curls. River. Song.**

**Get it? No? Oh well. I apologise.**

**I'm a Beta now! Yay! If any of you want me to be your beta, send me a PM!**

**I was sick for a week. Felt pretty awful.**

**I've got a pretty bad ear infection now because of that. I have to take these massive pills twice a day to get rid of it. And take painkillers so it doesn't hurt.**

******THE SEA OF MONSTERS TRAILER IS OUT! OH MY GODS! And it looks like they are getting back on track with the story. Yay!**

**That's it! Everything I wanted to say. **

**The next update will be at least two weeks away. I'm going down tot the beach for camping for two weeks (holidays have started!) and I won't have a laptop or internet. So I can't post chapter 7.**

**Do not worry though, I know what I am doing for it. **

**And I have a poll on my profile regarding this story. I'm not sure where my plot should head, so I've put up some ideas for you guys to vote about.**

**These are:**

**Half Blood Prince + Percy - basically, the story straight from the book, but with Percy there. I don't particularly want to do this, because it will be boring.**

**Half Blood Prince + Monster attacks, Percy and other stuff - Story from the book, but with monster attacks and Percy. Also the possibility of somehow incorporating a different plot. One of the ones I'm leaning towards.**

**Completely different storyline to the HBP, except for the ending (Dumbledore's death, the horcrux etc.) - The other one I want to do. Somehow have the horcruxes directly related to Percy, or one of his enemies. Have some sort of evil guy who hates Percy.**

**Something else - PM me your idea for 'something else'. - your choice.**

**Out of all of them, I like option 3 the best. Still, vote!**

**I'll close the poll a day after chapter 7 is posted. That gives you at least 2 weeks.**

**Next Time: Annabeth! Yay! She's finally back! :D**

**Until next time!**

**NightSand**


	7. The Hunters

**Hey Guys...**

**Its only been two weeks... + four more...**

**Sorry.**

**I wrote this a while ago, but just didn't have any time to post it. I feel pretty bad, and I'm so sorry. I guess I'm just a slow writer.**

**Well, maybe a slow updater.**

**The story! You guys want the story!**

**I'll quickly answer reviews, then read on...**

**PEOPLE WHO COMMENTATED ON PERCY PERHAPS BEING IN SLYTHERIN: Haha, suckers! You have to wait for next chapter! Although, I might give you a preview at the end of this chapter. We'll see...**

**FateofChaos: You, my friend, are very creative. I will keep that in mind. :)**

**percyjacksonfan135: Why is he? Well he isn't...yet. Bwhahaha! You shall only know next chapter.**

**Reyna Potter: In year six, they can choose their own subjects. I have enough for Percy to do, and he shouldn't have to do any magic. If I do, well... I'll get to that.**

**Darkening: I was just filling it in, to be evil. Now that I think of it though, it could be an interesting storyline...**

**So guys, here it is. The (hopefully) anticipated chapter 7!**

**Disclaimer: I just don't own anything you recognise. Geez. I'm not that good a writer.**

* * *

**Chapter 7: The Hunters**

**Annabeth**

The days at camp were both exciting and agonising.

Exciting, because of the new cabins and campers that were arriving every day, and agony because I wanted to have Percy beside me, seeing this, and he wasn't here.

I tried to distract myself from thoughts of him by planning the cabins and Olympus – part of my reward had been becoming the official architect for the new Olympus, since so much had been destroyed by Kronos.

Unfortunately, it didn't work.

Everywhere, no matter what I was doing, I was reminded of him. It might be when I would pass the archery range, and have to duck as an arrow came whizzing over my head, shot by some poor camper with as much skill as Percy had. Or when I was pouring over blueprints, I half expected him to come up and drag me outside to the beach. He was just there, always on my mind.

At least this time, I knew where he was. I could hope that he was safe – for now. Percy was a magnet for trouble. It would be too much to hope for that he would stay completely safe, particularly during a war. But he was – moderately – safe, and alive. I knew that as soon as he could, he would come back.

When it was time for me to sleep, I would lie asleep and replay the short conversation I'd had with him, courtesy of Hecate. I focused especially on his last words; _'I love you.'_

_I love you._

The gods knew how long I'd been waiting to hear those words from him. They made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside whenever I thought of them.

So I thought of them a lot. Those three words kept me going day after day. I treasured them more than any other words I had ever heard.

* * *

I'd just returned from Olympus, when I saw a group of teenage girls hanging around the Big House. At the head of the crowd stood a girl with short, spiky hair and a silver circlet sitting on her brow. She looked about 16 years old.

"Thalia!" I ran forward with a cry and a big grin plastered across my face. She turned, and a matching smile sprung up when she saw me.

"Hey Annabeth. How's things?" Thalia asked after a quick hug.

I thought about it. Despite Percy being gone, it was good being at camp without the threat of invasion or a war.

"Good," I said after a brief hesitation. " Oh, and Thalia, I had this brilliant idea for Olympus! You see, I think that maybe a –"

Thalia cut me off with a laugh. "Save it 'Beth, I don't need to know about your master plan. If you came up with it, it'll be amazing."

Part of me was annoyed that she hadn't wanted to hear about my idea, but most of me was touched by her faith in me.

Then I realised that I didn't know why the Hunters were at Camp. As a general rule, campers and Hunters didn't get along too well. Of course, that might be different now that Thalia was Lieutenant, but I doubted it would make much of a difference. The dislike had been in place for decades, perhaps even centuries.

"So, um… Thalia. Why are you here?" I asked.

Thalia pulled a face. "Lady Artemis declared that we need to be. No details. She basically ordered us to come here. Said she had 'something' that needed sorting out."

"Sounds like before – that winter." I said. Thalia's face darkened at the mention, but nodded.

"Yeah. So anyway, we're bunking out here. Maybe help with the new cabins or something. Be useful."

I glanced at the rest of the Hunters. Some seemed downright angry to be here, whereas others just appeared faintly annoyed. Most simply looked bored. I took that as a good sign.

Thalia looked behind at them as well. "I guess we had better get settled into the Artemis cabin. I'll see you later, Annabeth."

I smiled. "For Capture the Flag?"

She smirked in return. "Of course. We'll whip your butts."

"Keep dreaming Thalia. This time we'll win." I retorted. Thalia flashed me a _sure, sure_ look, before leading the way to Cabin 8. I watched them go, my heart feeling lighter than before.

* * *

Surprisingly, dinner wasn't the strained meal I'd anticipated. Then again, we'd just fought a war together. That sort of thing would create bonds that wouldn't fade easily. Both groups' opinion of each other had probably risen a fair bit. The Hunters even got on okay with Tyson and the rest of his Cyclops siblings.

During the meal, I couldn't help glancing over at the empty Poseidon table, and wished Percy could see this.

Predictably, after everyone had finished eating Chiron stood and announced the game of Capture the Flag. We all rushed back to our cabins to prepare.

I had been unofficially nominated captain, so I organised the campers into two forces – defence and attack. I, of course was attacking. My invisibility cap would be perfect for sneaking around any Hunters I might run into.

I heard the horn that signalled the start of the game, and sent off the attacking groups. I did a quick survey of our defences. Satisfied, I put on my cap and headed towards the Hunters side.

I moved quickly and quietly through the woods. So far, I hadn't encountered any Hunters – which could be both a good and bad sign. On one hand, it made my work a lot easier not having to dodge people. On the other, it could mean that I was nowhere near their flag. I hoped that wasn't true.

There. A flash of movement that disappeared into the trees on my right. I stealthily made my way over and saw to my joy the flag! It was jammed into a fork in a branch of an oak tree. It looked undefended, but I knew that the Hunters would never do such a thing. Plus, the trees around it provided plenty of cover for anyone who wished to remain unseen. I didn't doubt that if someone stepped toward the flag they would be attacked as soon as they were seen.

Lucky for me, I couldn't be seen.

Just then, a group of campers burst into the small clearing, led by Clarisse. She grabbed the flag and made to run back with it, but was stopped by a bunch of Hunters blocking her way. With a yell, she grabbed her spear, Maimer, and started attacking the leader. Soon, there was a mini battle going on.

In the confusion, I picked up the flag that had been dropped and slipped away. I was counting on the fact that Clarisse would be keeping the Hunters busy for enough time for me to get the flag across the river.

With the flag under my arm, I started heading back to our side of the river. This time I didn't take as much care with the noise I was making. Speed mattered more now.

I was nearly at the river when Thalia caught me.

An arrow sprouted in the ground, right before me. I stumbled briefly, caught by surprise. My cap fell off my head. Thalia appeared in my peripheral vision, sprinting towards me with Aegis out and her spear in her other hand. I put on extra speed, hoping to cross the river before she caught up. Of course, luck wasn't on my side.

About 10 metres from the river, I was forced to block her spear with my knife. I couldn't help thinking unfair this fight was going to be – knife against spear.

"Not so fast Annabeth. That's my flag there." Thalia said as she jabbed her spear towards me.

"Yeah? Well it'll be mine as soon as you let me win." I flashed back jokingly.

Thalia grinned wolfishly. "Why would I do that?" And she struck again, attempting to disarm me. We traded lightning fast blows, each trying to overwhelm the other without causing too much injury. We were friends after all.

My mind was racing. I wasn't confident that I could win this fight, not armed as I was. A knife isn't much use against a long reaching weapon such as a spear.

All I needed was to get the flag past Thalia and across the river. Didn't sound too hard, but unfortunately it wasn't as easy as it sounded.

A sharp pain and warm liquid trickling down my left leg brought me back to the fight. I suddenly knew how to win.

"Owww!"

I collapsed to the ground cradling my injured leg. In reality, it was just a graze, but with a little acting and some carefully smeared blood, I might be able to convince Thalia that she had hurt me badly. I summoned some fake 'pain filled' tears and looked up at Thalia. She looked taken aback.

"Hey, Annabeth, I'm sorry. Are you alright?"

I shook my head. "Do I look alright?" I asked bitterly, showing her the blood seeping through my fingers.

"I'm sorry." Thalia repeated. She knelt beside me. "Look, you'll be fine. Can I see?" She gestured toward my leg which was doing its part in the charade by bleeding slowly.

I nodded my head shakily and lifted my hands off the cut. As Thalia leaned forward to take a closer look I pushed her aside, grabbed the discarded flag and pelted for the river. Behind me I heard Thalia yelling curses, but it was too late. I'd crossed the river.

We'd won.

We'd actually won!

Thalia came up to me as I stood in triumphant disbelief, shaking her head. "I should have known you were faking."

"Yes. You should have." I replied, too proud of my victory to stop grinning.

"Modest Annabeth. You're _so_ modest." was Thalia's dry response.

"Of course I am. I'm _always_ modest." I said with mock sincerity. Thalia just rolled her eyes and joined the rest of her Hunters who were gathering at the edge of the trees.

I, meanwhile, was surrounded by campers celebrating and congratulating me. I looked around to share the victory with Percy, then remembered belatedly that he wasn't there. Suddenly, I didn't feel so happy.

I slipped away from the celebrations, finding a quiet place by the river. I sat on a rock and thought about Percy. I found tears coming on. _Why?_ I thought. _Why now?_

But I knew why. It was because Percy should been here to help. To contribute to this win. It felt like he wasn't needed anymore. But people did need him. _I _needed him.

I stiffened when I heard someone sit down next to me. Looking sideways, I was surprised to see Grover settling beside me.

"Thinking about Percy?" he asked quietly. I nodded.

"Me too." We sat silently for a few minutes lost in our thoughts, Suddenly I couldn't bear the silence.

"I just feel like he should have been here. I miss him." I blurted out. Grover nodded sadly.

"I know. I miss him as well. He was such a good friend."

"It always has to be him, doesn't it?" I said with a touch of bitterness. "Its like the world always needs him to save it. And the rest of us can only wait and hope for the best." I was surprising myself with how much I was revealing. Then again, Grover was one of the only people who really understood both me and Percy.

Grover nodded again. We spent more moments in silence. Then I turned to him again.

"Do you think he'll be alright?"

"What do you mean?"

I hesitated. "I can't stop worrying about him. Whether he'll be safe." I paused again, not sure if I could tell Grover about what had really been bothering me. "Do…do you think he'll miss us?"

Grover looked at me. For the first time, I realised how much he had grown. Not just in terms of height, but in maturity.

"Of course he would! This is Percy we're talking about. His fatal flaw is loyalty. We are his friends. He definitely misses us as much as we miss him."

"But what if he makes other friends?" I burst out. I knew it was ridiculous, but I couldn't help worrying about Percy replacing us with new friends.

"Then he has more friends. Listen Annabeth," Grover leaned forward. "Percy will _never _replace you. He loves you. Anyone could see that."

Once again I was struck by Grover's maturity. He was a different goat than the one that Percy had dragged across the borders half-conscious 4 years ago.

"Get it into your head. Percy will never forget you, no matter what happens. In fact, I bet that if he forgot anything else, he would still remember you."

I looked away, across the running water. "Do you really think so?" I asked quietly.

"I know so. Cheer up Annabeth. He'll be back soon." Grover gave me a smile, then got up and left me on my own.

I sat there for a while longer, thinking over Grover's words. Was it true? It seemed to come from a fairytale. Then again, my life might be called a fable by some.

I sighed, but it was a happy sigh. I could believe what Grover had told me. And he was right – Percy would be back before long, so I shouldn't worry.

I got to my feet. It was nearly curfew and I didn't want to get caught by the harpies.

I walked back towards the cabins. As I passed Cabin 8, I saw Thalia out the front. She gave me a questioning look that said, _You alright?_ I nodded, and continued onto my cabin.

That night, I fell asleep thinking of Percy. This time though, it was happy thoughts.

* * *

**Vala! Done. Don't worry, things will be getting interesting back at Camp Half-Blood soon. This chapter was just setting things up, and making sure that all the characters were there.**

**Now, do you want the preview?**

**What's that?**

**Yes?**

**OK. Enjoy...**

_"SLYTHERIN!"_

_I watched as the tall black haired boy sat down at the Slytherin table. Draco Malfoy and his cronies went up to him, no doubt going to congratulate him on getting into 'the best house at Hogwarts'. I snorted in disgust and turned away._

**Oh, you're going to kill me now. Especially when I say that the next update will be in three weeks. My editor is going away, and so I'm spacing out updates in her absence.**

**I think I'll leave before one of you kills me.**

**But then you wouldn't get an update.**

**I have blackmail over you guys!**

**Anyway, see ya!**

**NightSand**


	8. The Sorting

**Here we go guys, right on time!**

**I bet you were all waiting for this. And in advance, I apologise. I haven't started Chapter 9 yet (but I do have an idea for it) so I'm not sure how long it'll take. On the bright side, I have no more assignments, so my afternoons are pretty much free! Yay! :D**

**Teamleo4life: Sorry, but I'm not putting OCs in. Well, not as main characters. As far as I'm thinking, there will be no other demigods at Hogwarts. Sorry. But that was nice and detailed character profile. Maybe I'll include her in another story.**

**edward: Well, I did...and I decided that it's so much fun putting cliff-hangers in!**

**SLYTHERIN COMPLAINING PEOPLE: All will be revealed... And I have taken notes of your threats, and, in fear of my life, have improved the security in my house from one dog, to two dogs. Beware...**

**Done! Enjoy the (not) eventful chapter. It's kind of a filler. A bit. A tinsy winsy bit. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, places or whatever else you recognise in this story. Seriously. I'm over it.**

* * *

**Chapter Eight: The Sorting**

**Hermione**

"SLYTHERIN!"

I watched as the tall black haired boy sat down at the Slytherin table. Draco Malfoy and his cronies went up to him, no doubt going to congratulate him on getting into 'the best house at Hogwarts'. I snorted in disgust and turned away.

I noticed again that Harry was still missing. Worry flicked through me. It wasn't the first time Harry had been late to the Sorting, but I couldn't help my feelings.

An idea struck me. "Hey, Neville." I hissed across the table. He looked surprised, but leaned forward.

"Hermione? What do you want?" he asked, puzzled.

"Wasn't Harry with you at the Slug Club? Do you know where he is?"

Neville looked worried. "No, I don't know. We were heading back to change our robes, when he spotted Malfoy. He put on his invisibility cloak and disappeared. I haven't seen him since. Sorry." he added apologetically.

I glanced back over at Malfoy. He looked particularly pleased tonight. I would bet my collection of books that something had happened between him and Harry.

My train of thought was interrupted by Ron. He nudged me (not too gently) with his elbow.

"Hey, Hermione. It's Percy's turn."

I looked towards the Sorting stool. Ron was right – Percy was the last one left. He stood alone, but seemed quite unconcerned about it.

"Jackson, Perseus."

The hall echoed with snickers at the name. I felt sorry for Percy. He obviously wasn't thrilled about having his full name read out to a couple hundred teenage strangers.

I saw him mutter some words under his breath as he sat. Probably something along the lines of, "It's just Percy."

The hat was lowered onto his head and about a second after, Percy jumped. I guessed that the hat had spoke.

I watched as Percy shifted uncomfortably. His expression changed several times – going from slight shock, to… sadness? Yes, that was it. Something the hat was saying made him sad. I wondered what it was.

Finally, after five or so minutes, the hat made up its mind.

_"Well then… BETTER BE GRYFFINDOR!"_

Our table burst into claps and cheers. Percy hopped off the stool and came over to us. We shuffled along to make room for him, and he sat down next to Ron.

'Well done mate. You made it in." Ron said, grinning at Percy. I rolled my eyes.

"Ron, you don't 'make it in' to the houses. You are placed according to your personality."

Now it was Ron's turn to roll his eyes. "Whatever. She's just a smarty-pants." he whispered to Percy.

"Ron!"

Percy smiled at me, but I got the feeling he wasn't really see me. "It's alright. My gi – friend is very smart too. I'm used to it." Again, there was a sadness underlining his words. I puzzled over it. Yes, he was away from his friends, but it wouldn't be for _that_ long, would it?

Dumbledore called our attention.

"Now that our houses have gained wonderful new members, it is time to eat. Enjoy!" He clapped his hands and the food appeared on the tables.

Ron, like the boy he was, dug in instantly. Percy looked like he was tempted to do the same, but seemed to be torn about something. He glanced up at Dumbledore and gestured to the food. Dumbledore gave a small nod and a small fire appeared next to Percy, burning gently.

Percy smiled gratefully and began loading food onto his plate. When it was full, he scraped some of it off into the small flame. As he did so, he muttered a few words. I only caught the last few.

" –ods, especially Hecate."

Then he started digging in with as much enthusiasm as Ron.

I realised that I had been too distracted by what Percy was doing to eat my own food. I quickly took a few pieces of chicken and put them on my plate, along with a white roll. As usual, the food was delicious.

"So, Percy," Ron said between chews, spraying food everywhere, "What was that thing with fire and the food? It was perfectly good food, and you burnt it!" The way he said that, you would have thought it was murder.

Maybe to Ron it was.

"Oh, that. Well… I suppose you could say it's part of my religion." Percy replied with a smile.

I picked up on something. "You said, 'I suppose you could say.' Does that mean it is or not?"

Percy looked at me, the smile still playing around his lips. "It is, if you call my 'religion' an actual religion."

"What is it?"

He sighed, probably tired of the questions. Still, I wanted to know more about Percy.

"I believe that the Greek gods are real."

Whatever I'd expected, it wasn't this.

Ron seemed to agree with me. His mouth was hanging wide open, giving me a disgusting view of his half chewed food.

"Ron, please close your mouth. Learn some table manners."

He closed his mouth quickly and swallowed, before saying in a disbelieving tone, "Did you just say you worship the Greek gods?"

Percy shook his head, the smile appearing again. "No, I said that I believe the Greek gods are _real._

"Isn't that the same thing?" I asked.

"No. I definitely do NOT worship the gods. Don't they wish it though." he added under his breath.

Instead of becoming easier to understand, the more I knew about Percy the more puzzling he became. So, he believed that the Greek gods were real, but didn't worship them. Does that even make sense?

"Ok," I said, still trying to figure this new information out. "You believe in the Greek gods, and do not worship them. What was the thing with the food?"

"The gods like the smell. We give them burnt offerings to keep them happy."

"You said 'we'. How many of you are there? And giving food seems like worship to me."

"My whole...er… school follows the beliefs. And giving the food isn't worship. It's just thanks. I mean, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them." Percy laughed as if he had said something funny.

Ron and I didn't get the joke.

Percy soon quieted down, although he _still_ had that smile on his face. Maybe that's the sort of guy he was.

It struck me that Harry wasn't here yet. It was nearly dessert time, and he hadn't turned up. Panic surged up within me.

"Ron. Harry's not back yet." I said urgently.

"So? He'll be around. You know him." he said dismissively. He reached across the table for more food, but I slapped his hand.

"Ron! This is serious! What if he's hurt? Neville said that he went after Malfoy. Something might have happened."

Ron turned around to stare at Malfoy. I did too. Percy, I think, tried to figure out who we were talking about.

Malfoy was laughing with his friends. He touched his nose, then said something and stomped hard, miming crushing something under his foot. His group collapsed into laughter.

I turned away angrily. I was sure that something had happened between him and Harry.

"Who's Malfoy?" Percy asked. I didn't blame him for being curious.

"Malfoy," answered Ron, "Is a stuck up, daddy's boy. He's stupid, a cry baby, a –"

"Malfoy is the blonde on the Slytherin table." I interrupted. I knew that Ron could go on all night describing Malfoy.

Percy glanced over and presumably found him, because his expression darkened.

"It can't be… No. Luke's dead." he muttered.

I was confused – yet again. Who was Luke? Did he look like Malfoy? And why was he dead?

Percy looked away from Malfoy and instead glared at his plate. Strangely, I felt that the anger wasn't even directed at Malfoy – it almost seemed like he was angry at himself.

The great doors at the end of the hall opened, distracting me from Percy. I craned my neck, hoping to see Harry.

At first I didn't see anyone. Then Harry seemed to almost appear out of nowhere.

He was a mess. His face was covered in blood, but I couldn't see any injury.

"Where've you – blimey, what've you done to your face?" asked Ron, wide eyed.

Harry looked worried. "Why, what's wrong with it?" He grabbed a spoon and attempted to examine his appearance in the reflective silver.

"You're covered in blood!" I exclaimed. Honestly, how could you have that much blood on your face and _not_ know? "Come here –" I mentally ran through my list of spells and chose the most appropriate one. _"Tergeo!"_

The blood disappeared from Harry's face.

"Thanks." he said. "How's my nose looking?"

"Normal. Why shouldn't it?" I asked, slightly thrown off by his question. "Harry, what happened, we've been terrified!"

Ok, a slight exaggeration.

"I'll tell you later." was Harry's reply.

"But –" I protested.

"Not now, Hermione." he said sharply.

Ouch. Not very fair, seeing as we had been so worried about him.

Harry reached for some food, but at that moment the food changed to dessert. Ron, the eating machine, grabbed some straight away.

"Hat say anything interesting?" Harry asked.

"More of the same, really…advising us all to unite in the face of our enemies, you know."

"And it said something about the son of the sea – danger is coming and he will appear to help against this evil." I said dismissively.

Percy jerked as if he'd been zapped by lightning. "Really? It said that?"

"Yeah. Do you know anything about it?" I asked.

Instead of answering, Percy closed his eyes and muttered something in a language I'd never heard before.

"Oh, hey Percy. You've joined us then." greeted Harry, noticing that Percy was sitting with us for the first time. He got no reply other than a nod.

We discussed Harry and Voldemort briefly, although for once my attention wasn't on it. I was, for perhaps the 100th time, trying to figure out the mystery that was Percy Jackson.

Dumbledore quieted us down by getting to his feet.

"The very best of evenings to you!" he said, with a wide smile spreading across his kindly face.

I noticed his hand – it was blackened and shrivelled. "What happened to his hand?" I gasped, not really expecting an answer.

People around us seemed to be thinking the same. Whispers spread around the Great Hall like wild fire.

Dumbledore shook his arm so the sleeve of his robe covered it. He had evidently guessed from the not-so-subtle noise what was on everyone's mind.

"Nothing to worry about. Now… To our new students; welcome. Especially to Mr Jackson, who will be visiting from America for the year." Once again whispers started up. Percy tried to sink further into his chair.

Dumbledore seemed to notice, and I saw a twinkle in his eye. Then he continued to welcome all the old students back.

The only other unusual thing that happened was the announcement that Slughorn would be taking Potions. Snape, to our shock (and Harry's horror) was finally getting his dream of teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts.

We were dismissed by Dumbledore soon after to go to our dorms. I hurried to collect the first years and take them to the Gryffindor common room. I was pleased to find that all the first years were very well mannered.

After finishing the rest of my prefect duties, I rolled into bed and grabbed my book, _An Anthology of Eighteenth Century Charms._ It was a quite fascinating read.

I read for a little bit, before deciding to get some sleep so that I could study tomorrow. I turned off my light and settled down.

It had barely been 20 minutes when I heard the scream.

Well, it wasn't really a scream. More of a hoarse yell, coming from the boy's dorm. It was filled with a mixture of fear and hatred. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. It sounded like Harry was having another one of his Voldemort dreams.

Only it wasn't Harry's voice that had shouted out.

It was Percy's.

* * *

**Oooooh... What's happening?**

**Ok, hands up and be honest. Who seriously thought I was putting Percy in Slytherin. Anyone who did owes me a review. PAY UP!**

**Hehehehehe... I had fun writing that first part...**

**Now, I have a vague story plot laid out, so I kind of know where I'm going with this.**

**Kind of.**

**Well peeps, that's it! Hopefully, it won't be too long. If I don't update in amonth, start sending me angry PMs ordering me to update. I'll listen, I swear!**

**Next time: Percy! I mean, who did you think?**

**NightSand**


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